



fopghtfl?. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



CONSTRUCTIVE BIBLE STUDIES 

EDITED BY 

WILLIAM R. HARPER AND ERNEST D. BURTON 



AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE 
FOR TEACHERS OF CHILDREN 



GEORGIA LOUISE CHAMBERLIN 



1 




From Good speed's History of the Babylonians 



and 




WORLD 



AL ANTIQUITY 



Tevedoa 



Scale of Miles 
50 100 



200 



pilmun© 
PERSIA* 
GVLF 



t 40 from Greenwich 



45 



ians. Copyright, 1902, by Charles Scribner's Sods. 



AN INTRODUCTION 
TO THE BIBLE FOR 

TEACHERS OP CHILDREN 

A MANUAL FOR USE IN THE SUN- 
DAY SCHOOLS OR IN THE HOME 



BY 

GEORGIA LOUISE CHAMBERLIN 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION 
BY THE EDITORS 



» 



Constructive Bible Studies 
elementary series 



• CHICAGO 

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS 



1904 



?>%* 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooies Received 

MAY 13 1904 
Geoyrtgrht Entry 

CLASS «- XXc. No. 

COPY B 



Copyright 1904 
The University of Chicago 



»«• p r" •• 






r- 
^ 

*£ 






To the Officers and Teachers 

of the 

Sunday School of the Hyde Park Baptist Church, 

Chicago 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction (by the Editors) - - - - - vii 
Preface (by the Author) - - - - xix 

PAET I 

LESSON I 
Introductory - - 3 

LESSON II 
The Story of the Creation of the World and the 

Beginning of the Sabbath --'--- 8 

LESSON III 
The Story of th3 Beginning of Sin 14 

LESSON IV 
The Story of the Flood and the New Beginning - 19 

LESSON V 
The Beginning of th3 Chosen Family - ... 22 

LESSON VI 
The Story of Two Brothers and the Continuation of 

the Promises 28 

LESSON VII 
Stories of Joseph 32 

LESSON VIII 
Moses and the Exodus ------ 37 

LESSON IX 
The Giving of the Law ------ 41 

LESSON X 
Deborah and Barak - 46 

LESSON XI 
Gideon and His Three Hundred 52 

ix 



x An Introduction to the Bible 

lesson XII 
The Boy Samuel 56 

LESSON XIII 
Stories of David the Hero 61 

LESSON XIV 
David the King 65 

LESSON XV 
The Story of Ruth 70 

LESSON XVI 
Elijah and Elisha, the Hero-Prophets 79 

LESSON XVII 
Review of Old Testament Books of History and Story 85 

LESSON XVIII 
The Child Jesus - • - .... 87 

LESSON XIX 
The Boy Jesus ... - . 93 

LESSON XX 
Stories of the Disciples - - v . _ . . 98 

LESSON XXI 
Stories of Healing - 103 

LESSON XXII 
The Story of the Prodigal Son - - - - - 107 

LESSON XXIII 
The Story of the Good Samaritan - 111 

LESSON XXIV 
Jesus and His Friends 114 

LESSON XXV 
Jesus and His Enemies 117 

LESSON XXVI 
The Crucifixion of Jesus - 121 

LESSON XXVII 
Peter's Sermon Concerning the Risen Jesus - - 123 



Table of Contents xi 

PART II 
Introductory Remarks 131 

LESSON XXVIII 
Amos Preaching at Bethel 135 

LESSON XXIX 
Hosea Preaching the Love of God - 143 

LESSON XXX 
Isaiah Preaching in the Besieged City - - - 150 

LESSON XXXI 
Jeremiah and the False Prophets — an Acted Sermon 155 

LESSON XXXII 
Jonah — a Story-Sermon ... - 159 

LESSON XXXIII 
Job — a Story-Poem --....- ... 165 

LESSON XXXIV 
Three Songs of the Nation 170 

LESSON XXXV 
Psalms from the Temple Service - 176 

LESSON XXXVI 

The Books of Law 183 

LESSON XXXVII 
The Books of Letters - 188 

LESSON XXXVIII 
The Books of Vision - - - - - - - 195 

LESSONS XXXIX, XL 
Review ----- 199 

APPENDIX 
Books of Reference ------- 203 

Summer Work - 205 



INTRODUCTION 

The fundamental idea of the series of books to 
which the present volume belongs is, to impart real 
knowledge of the Bible, and thereby to aid in bring- 
ing about that moral and religious result in the pupil 
which is the highest end of all study and teaching 
of the Bible. The emphasis of this statement is 
upon the words "real knowledge." It is the con- 
fident belief of the editors of the series that a 
method of study and teaching which seeks to im- 
part to the pupil, as he is able to receive it, the 
truth about the Bible and the true significance of 
the biblical writings is, other things being equal, 
the most effective in his religious training. 

For the achievement of this end it is not 
enough that the pupil should become acquainted 
with scattered passages from the Bible, even 
though from the study of these he may gain valu- 
able lessons of religious truth. If the Bible is 
really to be his lifelong companion and guide, to 
which he can turn intelligently for help and 
instruction in the exigencies of life, from which he 
is to gain inspiration and guidance, it is needful 
that he secure a knowledge of its contents as a 
whole, some conception of the specific character 
and purpose of the many books that are included 
in the sacred collection, and a genuine interest in 

xiii 



xiv An Inteoduction to the Bible 

these books which will make the study of them a 
matter, not of drudgery to be dropped as soon as 
possible, but of helpful pleasure to be retained as 
a permanent habit of life. 

It is, moreover, the belief of the editors that 
the Sunday school, constituting, as it does today, 
the chief agency for giving to the young a syste- 
matic knowledge of the Bible, should have a care- 
fully planned curriculum, graded both in respect 
to the Scripture material employed in its successive 
grades and in the method of using this material. 
Any curriculum constructed now on the basis of 
the somewhat limited experience as yet available 
in graded Sunday schools will doubtless require 
revision. But, availing ourselves of such light 
as we now possess, we have adopted, as a basis for 
the preparation of text-books for use in a graded 
Sunday school, the following curriculum : 

I. THE ELEMENTAKY DIVISION 

The kindergarten, — Elementary moral and reli- 
gious truths conveyed through the medium of the 
simple story, and made real to the child by his 
having immediate opportunity to express in play 
or picture work his idea of the truths presented. 

* Grades 1-3. — Stories and verses from the 
Bible, with free use of pictures for purposes of illus- 
tration. 

♦Grades 1-8 correspond to the same grades in the grammar school 
— children six to twelve or fourteen years of age. 



Introduction xv 

Grade 4. — The books of the Bible: an elemen- 
tary course in biblical introduction, accompanied 
by the reading of appointed portions of the Bible 
and the memorizing of selected passages. 

Grades 5-7. — Biblical biography, including the 
lives of Old Testament heroes, of Jesus, and of the 
'apostles. 

II. THE SECONDARY DIVISION 

Grades 8-10.— Studies of separate books of 
the Bible; e. (/., the gospel of Mark, the epistle to 
the Philippians, the first book of Samuel, and one 
of the Minor Prophets. 

Grades 11-14. — Biblical history, including 
both events and teaching, and extending from the 
early Old Testament period to the close of the New 
Testament period. 

III. THE ADULT DIVISION 

Elective courses: 

1. The interpretation and literary study of the 
books of the Bible. 

2. Biblical ethics and theology. 

3. Biblical history, more detailed tharjL before. 

4. Church history. 

5. Christian doctrine. 

The present volume, prepared in the laboratory 
of the actual class-room, is intended as the text- 
book for the fourth grade. Following the work 
of the kindergarten and the three years in which 



xvi An Introduction to the Bible 

the child is taught chiefly by means of Bible 
stories, this year's work is devoted to the impor- 
tant task of giving to the pupil a knowledge — 
correct, even though necessarily incomplete — of the 
contents of the Bible as a whole, creating in him 
a genuine interest in the books that make up the 
sacred collection. 

The importance of this special task can hardly 
be overestimated. Not even a graded curriculum 
can, in its prescribed courses, carry the pupil 
through a detailed study of all the books of the 
Bible. There is grave danger that even the pupils 
who complete these courses will know the Bible 
only in detached parts. How much greater that 
danger is under an ungraded system need only be 
remarked in passing. Under both systems there 
is need of a definite course by which the pupil 
may obtain a just conception of the biblical library 
as a whole, a knowledge of the character and con- 
tents of the several books of the collection, and 
such a familiarity with the arrangement of these 
books in the English Bible as will enable him to 
use them to advantage in his reading and study. 
Such a course, rightly taught, can hardly fail to 
beget an interest in the books of the Bible and a 
desire to know them more fully. 

This introduction to the Bible should be given 
an early place in the curriculum. It can be profit- 
ably taken up only with children who are able to 



Introduction xvii 

read. But when the child has learned to read with 
reasonable facility, there is no good reason for 
its further postponement, provided only that the 
method of instruction be adapted to the stage of 
development which the pupils have reached. With 
children of the age indicated large use must still 
be made of the story. But there is already the 
beginning of a sense for reality, the dawning of 
the historical sense expressed in the demand for 
what is true; the receptive power of memory is 
strong, and under favorable conditions there is a 
taste for reading. While therefore pupils of this 
age are wholly unprepared for such a course in 
Biblical Introduction as would be appropriate to 
adults, a course which shall avail itself of the large 
narrative element in the books of the Bible, and 
shall even in introducing the pupil to books of 
Sermons, Laws, and Letters take legitimate advan- 
tage of the historical situations out of which all of 
them arose, and which shall encourage the pupil 
both to memorize some of the choicer portions of 
the Scripture and to read other larger portions 
which there is not time to memorize — such a 
course, skilfully constructed and taught, is pre- 
cisely adapted to the pupil's development and 
needs. All the courses that follow such a study 
will be pursued more profitably in the light of it, 
and experience has demonstrated that children of 
the stage of advancement indicated above are 



xviii An Introduction to the Bible 

quite able to take the course both with profit and 
with keen interest. Should any teacher or super- 
intendent think it wiser to introduce such study 
at a later point in the curriculum, possibly after 
one or more of" the three years of biographi- 
cal study, this would be far better than not to 
introduce it at all; and only the courses which 
would thus be made to precede it would suffer by 
such a transposition. 

It must be freely confessed that such a course 
presents peculiar difficulties to the teacher. The 
literature of the Bible, and the events which it 
records, are remote from our own time, and espe- 
cially from the thought-world of the children. The 
language of the Scripture books is strange to their 
ears, partly because of the antiquity of the litera- 
ture itself, partly because of the retention of the 
English of a former age in its translation. Within 
the covers of one volume is gathered a large collec- 
tion of books written by many authors, cast in vari- 
ous literary forms, coming from different ages. In 
this collection are many things which can as yet 
make no appeal to the child's interest. His atten- 
tion must consequently be directed to those things 
which are adapted to his stage of mental develop- 
ment, and these must be so dealt with that through 
them he shall find his way^, little by little as he is 
prepared for them, into the portions which are 
now beyond his reach. These are some of the 



Introduction xix 

difficulties the very existence of which emphasizes 
the need of such a course at an early stage of the 
child's study of the Bible. Experience shows that 
they can be in large measure overcome, and that 
it is reasonable to hope that the child, coming to 
know what there is in the Bible, and having a clue 
to guide him in the selection of the material that 
is interesting to him, will, in many cases at least, 
develop a deep interest in the Bible and a genuine 
desire to read it. 

But it is perfectly evident that the teacher 
who is to conduct such a course needs preparation 
for his task beyond that which is possessed by the 
majority of our Sunday-school teachers. The 
history, or story, or sermon, or hymn which is used 
in the lesson must be presented to the pupil's 
mind in such a way as to create a sense of reality. 
To this end the teacher must, if possible, have 
made himself so at home in the situation depicted, 
so familiar, not only with the material immedi- 
ately in hand, but with the whole setting, geo- 
graphical, historical, social, and religious, that he 
lives again in the times and events of which he is 
speaking. 

This volume, partly by what it itself contains, 
partly by directing the teacher to the pertinent 
portions of the Scripture, partly by referring him 
to modern books which will furnish the needed 
information, aims to guide the teacher in equip- 



xx An Introduction to the Bible 

ping himself for his work. Should any teacher 
into whose hands this book may come feel that 
the task is beyond his power, let him consider 
rather that the greatness of the task coupled with 
its importance makes it one to which he can afford 
to devote time and energy. The first year's teach- 
ing will necessarily be difficult, but the teacher 
who prepares to teach this course should be allowed 
to teach it year after year to successive classes, 
and will each year be able to produce better re- 
sults with continually lessening labor. 

. That a deep religious purpose should pervade 
and control the work of teaching such a course as 
the present cannot be too strongly insisted upon. 
The whole attitude of the teacher should be rever- 
ent toward the Bible, toward truth, and toward 
God. This attitude, not expressed in cant phrase, 
and not chiefly in formulated statement, but unaf- 
fectedly disclosed in the teacher's earnest and 
serious manner, will be powerfully effective in 
determining the pupil's own feeling and attitude. 
Flippancy should be absolutely banished from the 
class-room hour, and even humor should be spar- 
ingly employed. Probably no single year's work 
in the whole curriculum will do more to determine 
the pupil's estimate of the value of the Bible, and 
his whole attitude toward it, even though this 
attitude and estimate may not at the time be con- 
sciously defined. To make these correspond to 



Introduction xxi 

the real worth of the Bible is for this course more 
important than to deduce from any given lesson a 
specific moral or religious truth. In this course 
it has, therefore, been the purpose to avoid a 
stereotyped method, such as the conclusion of 
each hour of teaching with moral exhortation, or 
the constant employment of an allegorical method 
of application, and, whenever practicable, so to 
present the biblical material that the pupil shall 
see for himself the truth and make its application 
to himself. 

It need hardly be said that the present volume 
deals only with the lessons in the stricter sense of 
the term. The teaching period w T ill be preceded 
or followed by a religious service, either shared 
with the rest of the elementary division, or, if the 
class is large and has the exclusive use of a room 
of its own, participated in by the class alone. Of 
the value and importance of this service this is not 
the place to speak at length.* Suffice it to say 
that it cannot receive too careful attention from 
those who are interested in promoting the religious 
effectiveness of the Sunday school. 

That the work outlined in this course gives 
opportunity for the co-operation of teachers and 
parents, and that its successful accomplishment 

* Of this, as of several other points briefly touched upon in this 
Introduction, the teacher will find a fuller discussion in Burton and 
Mathews, Principles and Ideals for the Sunday School (Chicago: 
University of Chicago Press, 1903). 



xxii An Introduction to the Bible 

will call for such co-operation, will be at once 
recognized by anyone who makes even a cursory 
examination of it. This we count not a disad- 
vantage, but an advantage. It is the earnest hope 
of those who are interested in the publication of 
the book that its use may lead parents, not only 
to encourage their children to study the Bible 
lessons set for them by the Sunday school, but to 
study the Bible with their children. 

Parents who desire to supplement the work of 
the Sunday school by home instruction, or who 
are so situated that their children are unable to 
attend Sunday school, will, it is believed, find this 
book a helpful and practical guide in the instruc- 
tion of their children in the home. And even 
teachers of normal classes, who are charged with 
the preparation of young people for the work of 
Sunday-school teaching, may possibly find that a 
book outlining as this volume does, a course, by the 
study of which the pupil will gain a general knowl- 
edge of the whole Bible, and of the relation of the 
several parts to one another, is adapted to their 
special work. Certain it is that many young peo- 
ple enter upon the task of Sunday-school teaching 
with less knowledge of the books of the Bible 
than might be gained by the pursuit of the course 
marked out in this volume. 

If in the home, in the elementary classes of 
the Sunday school, and in the classes preparing 



Introduction xxiii 

young people to become teachers this book shall 
contribute something to the acquisition of knowl- 
edge and the promotion of intelligent appreciation 
of the books of the Bible, the hopes of the editors 
and the purpose of the author will be realized. 

The Editors. 
Chicago, March 1, 1904. 



PREFACE 

Through this volume the writer has endeavored 
to reproduce for the benefit of other teachers a 
series of lessons which have been worked out in 
three years of teaching successive groups of chil- 
dren in the same grade of the Sunday school. It 
should be stated that in the school where this 
work was done — that of the Hyde Park Baptist 
Church, Chicago — the conditions were in many 
respects ideal. A separate class-room for the 
class of fifty children ; Bibles and other necessary 
material provided by the school when' needed; 
from forty to forty-five minutes for the lesson 
period; four assistants to take charge of reports 
of work, and to render assistance to small groups 
of children, to look after the attendance, and to do 
pastoral visiting ; and, in addition, the cordial and 
interested co-operation of earnest superintendents 
and fellow-teachers, combined to render the work 
a genuine pleasure. The results which can be 
secured under such conditions as these must of 
necessity appear in greatly diminished form where 
less favorable conditions exist. It is hoped, how- 
ever, that even in cases where the suggestions con- 
tained in the lessons cannot, on account of local 
conditions, be fully carried out, there will yet re- 
main enough material of a helpful character to 

XXV 



xxvi An Introduction to the Bible 

render the volume useful to teachers and parents 
of boys and girls of ten to twelve years of age — a 
period at which to interest children in the Bible 
is a somewhat difficult task. 

The purpose of the lessons here published is 
to give to the child (1) the ability to handle his 
Bible intelligently; that is, to enable 
him to find books, chapters, passages, 
stories or other material in which he may have a 
special interest ; (2) a personal and, so far as pos- 
sible, familiar acquaintance with such portions of 
the Bible as will interest him as a child; (3) ability 
to distinguish between the various kinds of litera- 
ture which the Bible contains, such as books of 
history and story, sermons, hymns, etc. ; (4) such 
simple knowledge of the background of these 
various kinds of literature as will enable him to 
appreciate the reality of their representations and 
teachings ; (5) such suggestions of noble qualities 
and ideals in men and women as will lead to the 
admiration and emulation of the good rather than 
of the evil ; and (6) such conceptions of the faith- 
fulness and love of God and of Jesus Christ as 
shall lead the pupil to make personal choice of a 
life of Christian service. 

In the firm belief that a teacher of children 
needs to be equipped with information about his 
subject as fully as a teacher of adults, or even 
more so, each lesson is provided with suggestions 



Preface xxvii 

for reading outside the Bible. The effort has been 
made to reduce the amount of this reference lit- 
erature as far as is consistent with good 
a q^a work. If the teacher does not wish to 
purchase the necessary books for him- 
self, the Sunday school should place them in the 
library for the use of the teachers, not only in this 
grade, but in all grades of the school; for all the 
books named are standard works, of value in all 
teaching or study of the Bible. Should teachers 
already have access to books of modern date cover- 
ing the same subject, substitutions may be made, 
but the special references to chapters and pages 
would not, of course, in that case be available. 
For the benefit of those teachers or parents who 
wish to read still more widely, and who perhaps 
can bring about some considerable addition of 
teachers' reference books to the Sunday-school or 
other local library, a more complete list will be 
found in the Appendix to this volume. 

The teaching of this series of lessons will be 
much more effective and much easier for the 
teacher if it is carefully worked through from 
beginning to end before any lesson from it is 
taught. If this cannot be done, every teacher 
should keep at least two or three weeks in advance 
of his class in his reading, though always, of 
course, coming to the teaching of the current 
lesson from a fresh review of it. 



xxviii An Introduction to the Bible 

In the suggestions for the preparation of each 
lesson an effort is made to carry the teacher through 
The Prepa- a l°gi ca l process in the study of the 
ration of subject, with the least possible loss of 
the Lesson time and energy. The material for 
study should be taken up in the order in which it 
is printed. In many cases it will be noted that 
the teacher is expected to read a much larger 
portion of the biblical material than that which is 
to be presented in class. The aim of the teacher 
should be by this preparation to secure (1) a defi- 
nite conception of the particular sort of literature 
which he is presenting ; (2) a clear background in 
history for the story, poem, or sermon ; (3) a vivid 
conception of the significance of the passage as a 
product of, or as suggested by, the historical situa- 
tion; (4) an appreciation of the spirit of the pas- 
sage, viewed historically and in its religious sig- 
nificance. With this vivid conception of the 
event or the fragment of literature as it stands in 
its proper historical situation, and with an appre- 
ciation of the spirit and purpose of the original 
writer, the teacher can hardly fail to convey his 
own interest and appreciation to a class, whether 
of children or adults. 

The suggestions for the presentation of the 
lesson will, in some cases at least, give too definite 
a program. Many teachers will desire more lib- 
erty. This is as it should be. The best teacher 



Preface xxix 

is the one who can work out for himself the most 
logical, helpful, and interesting lesson, for the 
Th particular class which he is to teach. It 

Presentation often happens, however, that the teach- 
ofthe ers chosen for the younger pupils in 

Lesson ^ e Sunday school, are the young mem- 

bers of the church, full of zeal and enthusiasm, but 
untrained as teachers, having no definite knowl- 
edge of desirable material for study or of effective 
methods of presentation. To such as these a defi- 
nite program for each lesson will be welcome. A 
more experienced teacher will vary the program 
to suit his own ideals. 

As stated in a former paragraph, these lessons 
were arranged for a large class having a separate 
class-room. If they are used in teaching small 
groups in a room where other classes are working, 
such features as the concert recitation of memory 
work, and reading in concert, must necessarily be 
omitted, or individual reading and recitation sub- 
stituted for them. Other suggestions may also, 
under certain local conditions, be found imprac- 
ticable. In such cases the spirit of the suggestion 
may be incorporated in some other form, and the 
development of the subject thus remain undis- 
turbed. 

The length of the lesson period is a matter of 
very great importance. The best results in the 
use of these lessons can be secured only where the 



xxx An Introduction to the Bible 

children have forty minutes of undisturbed seclu- 
sion, or at least reasonable quiet. If no separate 
room is available, it will, of course, be necessary 
to conform to the lesson period of the rest 
of the school. If it is found that the period 
is too short, a portion of the scheme of presenta- 
tion must be omitted. Perhaps the best plan is 
to omit the written work, occasionally writing up 
the topics of two or three lessons at once. When 
this does not seem best, some portions of the sug- 
gestions for presentation, such as are not necessary 
to the continuity of thought or the climax of the 
lesson may be passed over. To teach straight 
ahead, and stop wherever one happens to be at the 
moment the bell sounds, may spoil the entire effect 
of the lesson, and lead to great loss on the 
part of the pupil. The time should be carefully 
planned in advance, and the lesson taught with 
the timepiece in view. A skilful teacher may 
sometimes successfully divide a lesson and carry 
it over two Sundays. 

Two objects are attained by the use of the 
written work : (1) the pupil is enabled to do some 

constructive work which is definite and 
n en which he can see with his eye; (2) he 

is provided an opportunity to employ 
for a brief time a different set of activities, thus 
giving restful variety to the lesson period. Books 
for the written work have been prepared and are 



Pkeface xxxi 

published for use in connection with the course. 
These books contain, besides occasional illus- 
trations, a printed introduction which gives the 
keynote, so to speak, of the course, and is referred 
to continually in the lessons. A brief historical 
introduction is presented in connection with the 
sermon books, in order to help the child to keep 
in mind the historical situation which gave occa- 
sion for the preaching of the sermon, more clearly 
than he could if it were left entirely to his 
memory. If the children's books are kept at the 
school and used only in class, they remain a 
novelty to the end of the course, and may then 
be sent home to the parents. 

The writer has not always followed the practice 
of introducing the written work at the end of the 
lesson. Sometimes it may be omitted on the 
Sunday to which it is assigned and used at the 
beginning of the next lesson in a review of the 
work of the previous Sunday. The teacher should 
arrange this matter to meet the conditions of the 
time, and the effect which he desires this part of 
the work to have in connection with any particular 
lesson. 

In connection with the written work mention 
may be made of the written examination. In the 
school for which these lessons were originally 
prepared, the children have come to regard the 
written examination as a regular adjunct of the 



xxxii An Introduction to the Bible 

work, and are eager for it rather than otherwise. 
The questions are in every case taken home and 
the entire week allowed for answering them, the 
assistance of parents being permitted in the lower 
grades. A large proportion of the members of 
the class find little difficulty in answering the 
questions. 

Teachers are particularly urged to emphasize 
the importance of the home work, and this for 
Home Work severa l reasons : (1) The home work 
for the furnishes a definite task to be performed 

Children by the child each week# ( 2 ) By it he 

is led to respect his work, the school which de- 
mands it, and the Bible which he is expected to 
study. (3) He forms the habit of reading the 
Bible for himself. (4) Through this portion of 
his work he is kept reviewing the material which 
he has studied, and bringing it into connection 
with similar material to an extent that time 
would not permit in the class hour. (5) By this 
plan an opportunity is given the abler pupils to 
distinguish themselves by working to the limit 
of their larger ability, the less able children per- 
forming only a part of the home work, the class 
work for all remaining the same. 

In the classes in which these lessons have been 
used the children are annually promoted from this 
grade, the highest in the Elementary Division, to 
the Secondary Division of the school. In the 



Pkeface xxxiii 

graduation exercises, which usually consist of an 
oral examination of the class, or a drill in connec- 
tion with the contents of the Bible, certificates of 
two classes are given: (1) certificates with a gold 
star for the pupils who have done all the home 
work; (2) certificates without a star for pupils who 
have done a considerable part of the home work. 
Those who have done no home work are allowed 
promotion, but without certificate or other recogni- 
tion. In a class of fifty, from one-half to one-third 
of the entire number have won stars, and it has 
been necessary to deny certificates to only a few. 
Further recognition of home work has been given 
by means of a weekly or monthly roll of honor 
which is read before the class or school. 

The form of card illustrated on the following 
page has been used for the assignment and the 
reporting of the home work.* 

These cards are collected by means of a roll- 
call at the beginning of the class hour and the 
new cards are given out at the end of the lesson 
period. An assistant records the work, and is 
ready at the end of the period to present the roll 
of honor. The reports are filed from week to 
week in envelopes, one of which is kept for each 
child, so that at any time his entire work may be 
examined. A constant effort is made to help those 
children who cannot easily do the work; and 

♦Furnished by the University of Chicago Press at a moderate cost. 



xxxiv An Introduction to the Bible 

usually the proportionate number of report cards 
increases steadily as the course proceeds. 



PUPIL'S REMINDER OF BIBLE READING 

Dear 

Will you please read before next Sunday 

and commit to memory 



TEACHER. 

(OVER) 



(BACK OP CARD) 

Dear Teacher: 

I have read since last Sunday. 



and have learned. 



PUPIL. 

This card must not be signed until some work has been done, but 
it may be signed for the reading work alone if the memorizing is too 
difficult. 



Preface xxxv 

That the co-operation of parents and teachers 
in promoting the work of the child is desirable no 

one who reads this Preface will dispute. 
Suggestions That the Sunday school should displace 
to Parents * r 

home study of the Bible is a great evil ; 

it should rather foster and encourage it. With a 
view alike to making the Sunday-school work 
more effective, and to promoting study of the Bible 
in the family for its own sake, suggestions to 
parents are included in each lesson. The book is 
thus intended to be placed, not only in the hands 
of the teacher, but in the home of each pupil. 
A letter from the superintendent or teacher should 
call the attention of the parents to the share which 
they are desired to take in the work, asking that 
the book be procured and continuous effort be 
made to supplement the work of the teacher, thus 
enabling the child to gain all the results that the 
course will yield. Eeference-books should be 
placed by the school at the disposal of parents as 
well as teachers. If a group of parents would 
meet with the teacher of the class occasionally, to 
discuss the problems which come up in the prog- 
ress of the work, and to exchange experiences, 
parents would receive inspiration from this con- 
tact with the teacher, and the teacher would be 
correspondingly benefited by the insight into the 
home life of the child which would be thus 
afforded. In a school where a home department 



xxxvi An Introduction to the Bible 

exists the work of the parents in this course may 
well be termed home-department work. 

The problem of the Sunday school which is so 
popular a theme for discussion is not wholly a 
problem for the teacher or for the superintendent, 
but for the home as well. A half -hour a week for 
religious instruction can produce but small results. 
That half-hour multiplied by seven, and made a 
daily period, will accomplish far more than seven 
times as much good. 

The suggestions to parents are brief. They 
might be much more elaborate. Indeed, there is 
not a direction or suggestion to the teacher which 
cannot be carried out in spirit by the parent in 
the home. Even the busiest mothers can hardly 
be unable to assist the children at least in the 
reading and memory work. It is evident that, as 
no child who does not do the home work can 
receive the full benefit of the lessons, so no child 
can receive the full benefit of the home work who 
has not the sympathy and help of the parents. 
To isolate the work which the child does in Sun- 
day school from his everyday life at home, and to 
deny in this particular field of study his constant 
appeal for the sympathy of older people, is to go 
far toward making it ineffective in his life. Why 
should not the parents discuss the child's Bible 
lesson with him as freely as his geography or his- 
tory task? It is quite as vital, even from the 



Preface xxxvii 

point of view of intellectual development, and 
infinitely more so as an incentive to right living. 

There is not space to speak adequately of the 
importance of associating with the Sunday-school 
lesson suggestions to the child concerning activity 
correspondent with the teachings brought to the 
attention of the pupil. The study of the biblical 
stories tends to engender in the child sympathy, 
self-control, courage, loyalty, love for God and 
for one's neighbor. To assist him to adjust these 
developing motives to his everyday life, by sug- 
gesting from time to time special channels for 
their exercise, is the duty of both teacher and 
parent, but in this field of practical application 
the opportunity of the parent, coming as he does 
into daily contact with the child, is far superior 
to that of the teacher. 

The parent or teacher may, in looking through 
these lessons, be disturbed by the fact that the dis- 
tinctively religious teaching is smaller 

e lgious j n amoim f- than might have been ex- 
Teaching ° 

pected in a series of lessons for ten-year- 
old boys and girls. If it were a series extending 
over several years, this would perhaps be a serious 
defect in the lessons. But the lessons in this 
volume are intended to cover only the period of 
one year. They are designed to give the pupil a 
knowledge of the books of the Bible akin to the 
mechanic's knowledge and love of his tools. Surely 



xxxviii An Introduction to the Bible 

this is not an unworthy aim of one year's study. 
It is also to be remembered that the child of 
this age is often able to feel for himself the reli- 
gious or moral teaching of a Scripture story with- 
out having it definitely and distinctly pointed out 
to him. Indeed, he will possibly feel the force of 
some moral lesson which the teacher, from his 
different point of view, would not think to point 
out to him. The teacher who feels the need of pre- 
senting in the lessons more distinctively religious 
teaching may easily find ways of doing so; but 
he will perhaps be wiser to leave something to the 
child's native power of seeing truth, and devote 
his energies mainly to leading the children into a 
familiarity with and love for the books of the 
sacred collection, confident that thus he is ren- 
dering his pupil a service of lifelong value to him. 
The author desires to acknowledge here her 
indebtedness to Dr. Edward S. Ames, of the 
Department of Philosophy of the University of 
Chicago, for criticism from the point of view of 
psychology ; and especially to the editors, without 
whose encouragement and assistance, the work, 
whatever its value, would never have been pre- 
sented to the public. 



PART I 

Books of Histoky and Stoky fkom the Old 
and the New Testaments 



LESSON I 

INTRODUCTORY 

I. Aim. — The aim of this first lesson should 
be to arouse in each child a personal interest in 
the Bible and a sense of pleasure in its possession. 
To promote this end let every child be provided 
with a Bible, if possible his own, bearing his name 
and the date of the beginning of his study. 

II. Material for Study. 

Milligan, The English Bible. 

Robertson, The Old Testament and Its Contents. 

If access to a library is possible, the following 

books may be constantly consulted with profit: 

Bennett and Adeney, An Introduction to the Bible 

Bennett, A Primer of the Bible. 

Adeney, How to Read the Bible. 

Adeney, The Construction of the Bible. 

Gladden, Who Wrote the Bible f 

Moulton, Introduction to the Literary Study of the 
Bible. 

Remarks. — Under this head will be placed (1) the bib- 
lical material upon which the lesson is based; (2) the books 
which it will be well to consult. These books are as few 
in number as is consistent with good work, and teachers 
are strongly urged either to purchase them, or to secure 
their purchase for the Sunday-school library, or some 
other library where they can be constantly used in the 
preparation of the lesson. A more complete list of refer- 
ence books is given in the Appendix. A teacher cannot be 
too familiar with the structure of the Bible, if he hopes to 
lead the children to handle it intelligently. 

3 



4 An Introduction to the Bible 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. — If you are not 

familiar with (a) the location of the books in the 
Bible, (6) the specific character of the several 
books, and (c) the history of the English Bible, 
read carefully the first two books recommended 
above, or their equivalent, and gain for yourself 
a clear idea of the character of the Bible as a col- 
lection gathered from the literature of the Hebrew 
people, to which was added a similar collection of 
the literature of the early Christians, the whole 
now constituting the sacred books of the Christian' 
church. 

In this series of studies the following classifi- 
cation of the books of the Bible is adopted: 

Books of History and Story: Genesis, Exodus,* Joshua 
to Esther inclusive, the Gospels, Acts. 

Books of Sermons : Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea to Malachi 
inclusive. 

Books of Law : Exodus,* Numbers, Leviticus, Deuter- 
onomy. 

Books of Poetry and Wisdom : Job to the Sdng of Songs 
inclusive, Lamentations. 

Books of Vision : Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation. 

Books of Letters : The Epistles, Romans to Jude. 

The designation of the first class as "History 
and Story" is not intended to signify that some 
books in this class are history and some story, but 
that in these books the elements of history and 
story are inseparably linked together. To attempt 

*The book of Exodus is intentionally placed in two classes, since 
both the legal element and that of history and story are largely 
represented. 



Introductory 5 

to distinguish between these elements would dis- 
tract attention from the central purpose and 
diminish the value of the material for use in the 
religious instruction of children. 

The more familiar the teacher becomes with 
the biblical books as books, the more easily will 
he be able to present the lessons which follow, 
and the more successfully will he inspire the 
children to read for themselves the stories, and 
other portions of literature, to which he calls their 
attention. 

No teacher should be satisfied with studying 
only the material which he is to present. He 
should, as the lessons proceed, read enough of 
each book to feel its distinctive character, and to 
classify it, without the necessity of reference to 
his outline. Suggestions for special preparation 
will be given under each lesson. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Lead the children to tell what they know of the 
contents of books, distinguishing : (a) Story books ; 
the names of favorite stories may be called for. 
(&) History books, or records of war and conquest ; 
let some of the children relate what they know of 
war or conquest in our own country, (c) Books 
of Poetry; Longfellow and Whittier may be re- 
ferred to, since they are poets with whom the 
children in the public schools usually begin the 
study of poetry, (d) Hymn books, one of which 



6 An Introduction to the Bible 

can easily be shown, (e) Call attention to the 
fact that there are other kinds of books ; for in- 
stance, books of Law, in which the laws of the city 
or country are written down; books of Letters, 
containing the letters written by famous men, and 
collected and printed by their friends ; books of 
Sermons, such as those of Mr. Beecher, preached 
in slavery times, and those of Phillips Brooks to 
little children. 

2. By questioning, secure from the class a 
name for a collection of books— a "library." Let 
different members of the class choose the kinds of 
books that they would prefer to have in a library ; 
lead them to think of the advantage of having 
some of each kind. It may now be explained that 
each child has such a library in his possession. 
Call attention to the name upon the back of the 
Bible, and explain the meaning of the word 
"Bible"- — a collection of books. Then let the 
pupils turn to the various headings of the books 
and read a few of the titles, the book of Genesis, 
the book of Exodus, etc. Further attention may 
be called to the peculiarities of this library — 
small, convenient, all within one cover, composed 
of very old books, etc. Recall the various kinds 
of books which were mentioned and assure the chil- 
dren that as we study week by week we shall find 
all these represented in the Bible — their library. 

3. Read any short story from Genesis as a 



Introductory 7 

specimen from a book of history and story — as 
the story of Cain and Abel (chap. 4), or that of 
the Tower of Babel (chap. 11). If you prefer 
that the pupil should make his own first acquaint- 
ance with the story, omit the reading, and, sug- 
gesting the value of very old books, describe the 
process of writing books upon parchment, and 
relate stories of the wonderful preservation of the 
Bible through all the vicissitudes of its history. 
Draw attention to the word "holy" and give a 
reason why men have so carefully preserved this 
library; namely, because in this library of books 
are found all which remain of the history, the 
stories, the poetry, and the hymns of the people 
whom God from the beginning chose from among 
all the peoples of the earth to teach the world 
about himself; and also because, in order more 
perfectly to represent himself, God sent Jesus 
Christ into the world, and the only history of his 
life and teaching which we possess is contained in 
these books. 

Having thus in either of the above ways stimu- 
lated a desire on the part of the children to be- 
come intimately acquainted with this library which 
we call the Bible, suggest that they begin with 
the first book, and read during the week the first 
story (Gen. 1 1 — 2 4 ), the story of the creation of 
the world. Also ask them to learn to spell, pro- 
nounce, and write the name of the book, Genesis. 



LESSON II 

THE STORY OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, AND 
THE INSTITUTION OF THE SABBATH 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the book of Genesis 
as the book of Beginnings. 2. To represent God. 
as the Creator of all things, and the sabbath as a 
divine institution. 

II. Material for Study. 

Genesis 1 1 — 2 k 

Dods, Genesis, Introduction, and pp. 1-8. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. — After reading 
the recommended material, study this story from 
the following points of view v : 

1. As the artistic reproduction of an old na- 
tional tradition. 

2. As written in this form by one who was 
striving to make forceful in his times the idea 
that the sabbath had been instituted by God, who 
demanded its proper observance. 

3. As containing a fundamental principle for 
all humanity, namely, work, then rest. 

4. Put yourself in the situation of the first 
reader of this story, in this form, and feel the con- 
vincing nature of the argument as it passes from 
section to section, as the account of the work of 
each day is completed with the refrain, "And 

8 



The Ckeation and the Sabbath 9 

there was evening, and there was morning." etc., 
until the climax is reached in vss. 1-4 of chap. 2, 
"And the heavens and the earth were finished," etc. 
5. Now put yourself into the place of the 
biblical writer, whose task it was to convince the 
people of his day, and try to reproduce the mate- 
rial as your own. Do not memorize the words 
mechanically, but think them through several 
times. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

Eemark. — If you are thoroughly in sympathy with the 
purpose of the writers of the biblical material, and with 
the children whom you teach, you may do well to disre- 
gard here, as always, the suggestions offered in order to 
work out a presentation of the material for yourself. An 
original plan is frequently better suited to particular con- 
ditions under which you are working than any which a 
stranger can suggest. 

1. Tell the children something about the man- 
ner in which national traditions were handed 
down among ancient peoples, that is, told and 
retold, by mothers to their children, by soldiers 
at their camp-fires, by wandering teachers and 
preachers, by minstrels, and finally, after centu- 
ries, written down. 

2. Show how the same story will be attractive 
or uninteresting according to the way in which it 
is told. When told in a beautiful form we enjoy 
it, and remember it and its teaching. Illustrate 
by a statement of the bare facts of the story of 



10 An Introduction to the Bible 

Barbara Fritchie or Paul Revere, and let the 
superior attractiveness of the poems about these 
persons, with which the children are probably 
familiar, be noticed. 

3. Draw from the class an opinion as to 
whether, if a man were writing a message in a 
beautiful form and wanted to put into it two very 
important facts, which he wished people to remem- 
ber, he would put them at the beginning or at the 
end of the message. Some will say, at the begin- 
ning; others, at the end. It matters not which, 
but the discussion will serve to fix attention upon 
both these points in the story. 

4. Let the children open their Bibles at the 
first chapter of Genesis, and mark, at your dicta- 
tion, each verse presenting the refrain, "And there 
was evening, and there was morning," etc. Ex- 
plain that the story which is to be read contains 
two very important facts, and that it was told in a 
striking form, in order that the people for whom 
it was originally intended, and we today, might 
remember these things. Choose six of the bright- 
est children to listen as you read, and to tell you 
when you have finished what the two important 
facts are. 

5. Now read the story, letting the children 
read the refrain each time with you. Your own 
unconscious emphasis of vs. 1, and 2 1_4 , will give 
them light, and it will not be difficult to draw 



The Creation and the Sabbath 11 

from them the statements that God created the 
world and that he instituted the sabbath. 

6. Turn to Exodus, chap. 20, and read the first 
line of the fourth commandment. Point out (a) 
that the story which has just been read was intended 
to make that command so impressive and so attract- 
ive to the people for whom it was written that they 
would always want to set apart a day for God; 
and (b) that we read it today, and always, that we 
may remember to keep one day each week for the 
special service of God, laying aside our everyday 
work, and gaining rest for our souls and bodies. 
Try to arouse interest by a few questions as to the 
value of such a command to a child, and so bring 
the class naturally to the point where they see 
that work, then rest, is the proper and natural 
order, and would be so even if it were not a divine 
command; that there is indeed no such thing as 
rest except as connected with work. Illustrate 
from their school life, each day with hours of 
work, and then play, and just so each week with 
days for tasks and one day for rest. Finally 
deepen the impression of the wisdom of God in 
creating all things, and in making such regula- 
tions concerning work and rest. 

V. Written Work.*— Call attention to the title 
of the book, Genesis, from which you have read. 
Recall the fact that this is the first, or "beginning," 

♦For description of blank books see Introduction. 



12 An Inteoduotion to the Bible 

book in the Bible. Let the children notice also 
that the stories which have been read are stories 
of beginnings. Let them write in the book, at the 
top of the first blank page, the name of the book, 
Genesis and under it: 

The beginning of the world. 

The beginning of the sabbath. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen. 
l!-2 4 ; 2 5 -3 24 ; memorize Exod. 20 8 - n , the fourth 
commandment. The most careful instruction 
should be given in regard to the home work, 
both as to the manner of doing and the method 
of reporting it. If possible, cards such as those 
described in the introductory chapter should be 
employed. The author has found that a weekly 
roll of honor, naming those who have done the 
home work, is very stimulating. In an average 
class of fifty children, perhaps more than one-half 
of the class ought to be able to do home work 
regularly. If the attention of the children is con- 
tinually called to this work, the more capable ones 
will perform the tasks, and will gain much more 
than those who do not undertake it, and both 
classes of children will be assimilating all that 
they can receive without any variation of class 
work to suit different capabilities. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — In the home 
work parents can be of the greatest assistance in 



The Creation and the Sabbath 13 

helping the child to do the required reading, and 
in supplementing it by reading to them other in- 
teresting material, which will further illustrate or 
develop some particular phase of the lesson. 
Suggestions for home work with the children, 
other than reading, will frequently be made. 



LESSON III 

THE STORY OF THE BEGINNING OF SIN 

I. Aim. — 1. To impress more deeply the char- 
acter of the book of Genesis as a book of Begin- 
nings. 2. To teach that disobedience always 
brings punishment. 

II. Material for Study. 

Genesis 2 5—3 24. 
Dods, Genesis, pp. 8-21. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. If possible, read some stories of the origin 
of man, as found in the traditions of other nations 
than the Hebrews.* v 

2. Consider whether, in view of the similarity 
of these stories and the universality of a tradition 
concerning the origin of man, the emphasis in this 
story, in the mind of the prophet who wrote it, is 
not upon the beginning of sin, and the conse- 
quences which followed, rather than upon the 
beginning of man; and also whether his story- 
sermon is not based upon the current tradition of 
his times, already familiar to the people of those 
times. 

*In Lenormant, Beginnings of History, chaps. 2, 3, will be found 
traditions of other nations, corresponding to those in Gen., chaps. 
1-11. The volume should be placed in a library, but is not of sufficient 
importance to these lessons to make the purchase of it necessary for 
the teacher whose books must be few in number. 

u 



Stoky of the Beginning of Sin 15 

3. Consider the possibility of similarity between 
the children whom you are teaching and the 
people in the child-period of religious develop- 
ment, for whom the story was put into this form 
by the prophet. If there is such similarity, would 
it not be well to place the emphasis upon the side 
which the prophet emphasizes, namely, the reli- 
gious teaching concerning the consequences of 
sin, rather than upon the circumstances connected 
with the creation of man ? 

4. Making use of your own experience con- 
sider how clear an analysis you are able to con- 
struct of the steps involved in any sin. Is the 
order of action given in the story a true one psy- 
chologically ? Does it represent the natural his- 
tory of every sin? Is it better, in dealing with 
children, to place the greater emphasis upon the 
consequences of sin or upon the rewards of obedi- 
ence ? Is the stern Jehovah of the early Old Tes- 
tament stories more forceful in the life of the 
child than the loving Father of the New Testa- 
ment teaching? These are questions to think 
about. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Draw the attention of the children to the 
fact that there are stories about the beginnings of 
all important things. Let them recall the stories 
of the beginnings of their city, or of their country. 
Remind them of a larger beginning which they 



16 An Introduction to the Bible 

have already studied, the beginning of the world. 
Question them as to the Creator, and as to the most 
important thing which he created. Let them read 
with you Gen. I 28 , and feel the importance of the 
position which man was expected to occupy in the 
plan of the world. 

2. Explain that all ancient nations had stories 
of the beginning of man, but that the Hebrews, 
the people whose history is contained in the Bible, 
had more than a story like that of the other 
nations ; they had a story-sermon which told how 
man, at the very beginning, disobeyed God and 
was punished for his disobedience. This story we 
call the Beginning of Sin, instead of the Begin- 
ning of Man. 

3. Tell the story contained in Gen. 2 5 — 3 24 . 
Do not enlarge upon any of the circumstances, but 
keep closely to the biblical narrative, giving a 
simplified reading or paraphrase * of the chapters, 
if you prefer. 

* 4. Let the children read with you, in review, 
2 16 , the command; 3 1 " 5 , the temptation; 3 6 , the 
yielding to temptation and the act of disobedience ; 
3 23 > 24 , the punishment. 

5. Follow with informal conversation about 
disobedience, as the children know it. Try to 
lead them to see that in their own experience the 
steps are the same, and that punishment always 

*Seep. 132. 



Story of the Beginning of Sin 17 

follows in some form or other. Lead them by 
questions to recall the punishment that comes 
from within, in the painful consciousness of having 
done wrong. Suggest the idea of God within, 
that is, conscience. Which is easier to endure, the 
punishment of father or mother, or that of con- 
science ? Remind them that children grow to be 
men and women, and the punishment by parents 
ceases, but conscience lasts through life, and is 
always present to punish the wrongdoer. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Genesis page 
The Beginning of Sin. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen. 
2 5_ 3 24. 41-w Memorize Eph. 6 1 . (Reference 
to Lesson IV will show a task to be assigned to a 
pupil in advance in connection with the class work 
of that lesson.) 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — A wise parent 
will have many opportunities during the week to 
recall to the mind of the child the story of the 
first act of disobedience, in connection with some 
act of his own which repeats the experience in 
whole or in part. This should be done in the 
most delicate way, however, for it would defeat 
the purpose of the work should he come to dislike 
the story, because of too frequent application to 
his own acts. Neither should too much self- 
analysis on the part of the child be encouraged. 



18 An Introduction to the Bible 

Simply read and reread the story with him and 
let him draw his own analogies. 

If the children can be persuaded to make 
drawings illustrating the story in this and every 
case, or to rewrite it in words of their own, your 
careful criticism of the results of these efforts will 
deepen the impression of the main points. 

In reading the material the greatest freedom 
in marking Bibles should be allowed. The 
end of the story should always be marked. If 
the American Standard Revised Version is used, 
the name of the story will be found at the top of 
the page. 






LESSON IV 

THE STORY OF THE FLOOD AND THE NEW 
BEGINNING 

1. Aim. — 1. To further acquaint the class with 
the Book of Beginnings. 2. To show that a new 
beginning was founded on obedience, inaugurated 
by worship, and confirmed by a covenant between 
Jehovah and mankind. 

II. Material for Study. 

Genesis 6^-22; 76-24; 81-917. 
Dods, Genesis, pp. 31-42. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Many ancient nations had stories of a great 
disaster similar to the flood. If possible, compare 
some of these with the story in Genesis and note 
especially the fact that, while the stories of the out- 
side nations are simply legends, having no moral 
element, the biblical story is permeated with a 
high moral purpose.* 

2. Note that the chief purpose of the writer of 
the story in Genesis seems to be, not to relate the 
story of the flood, but by the use of a current 
tradition, already familiar to the people, on the 
one hand, to impress the terrible consequences of 
sin, and, on the other, to represent the favor of 
Jehovah as conditioned upon obedience. 

M. 

♦See note on Lenormant, Beginnings of History, p. 14. 

19 



20 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. In the preceding lesson all the emphasis 
was laid upon the consequences of disobedience. 
This was in order that the child might be incited 
to obedience. In this lesson we may strengthen 
the desired impression by emphasizing the happier 
consequences of obedience. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Review the story of the Beginning of Sin, 
and the result of disobedience in the first family. 

2. Introduce the story of the flood by the 
larger idea of the punishment of a whole people 
for disobedience to Jehovah, when they had, as in 
the days of Noah, entirely forgotten or abandoned 
him. 

3. Let the member of the class to whom the 
task was assigned on the previous Sunday, tell 
the story of Noah up to the going forth from the 
ark, keeping to the material in the references, 
Gen. 6 9 " 22 ; 7^; 8 1 " 18 . 

4. Let the children suggest or discuss briefly 
what might have happened if Noah had disobeyed. 

5. Take up the story and yourself continue it 
with (a) Noah's first act on leaving the ark, namely 
sacrifice, the customary act of public recognition 
of a god in Noah's day ; (6) the promise that there 
should never again be a flood to destroy the earth ; 
(c) the covenant and its sign. 

6. Explain the \Yord "covenant," and talk with 
the children briefly about promises. Let it be 



Stoky of the Flood 21 

seen that the covenant with Noah was the result 
of his obedience, and that the promise of Jehovah 
included all that, to Noah, was desirable in life. 
Lead finally to the thought that the covenant was 
with everybody, "all flesh," and was an "ever- 
lasting covenant," therefore with each child, and 
meaning for him God's favor through life, condi- 
tioned always upon obedience. 

7. Call at this point for the memory verse of 
the week (Eph. 6 1 ). 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Genesis page 
The Flood and the Neiv Beginning. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen. 
li_2*; 6 9 " 22 ; 7 6 " 24 ; 8 1 — 9 17 . Memorize 1 Sam. 
15 22& . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — This lesson fur- 
nishes an excellent opportunity to parents to 
impress upon the mind of the child the serious 
character of a promise, the promise to mother, 
father, or playmate. The promise of a parent con- 
ditioned upon obedience finds its prototype here. 
Perhaps the parent may make a covenant with the 
child, giving some sign as in the story, thereby 
helping the child to realize in his own experience 
this ancient custom of covenant-making. 



LESSON V 

THE BEGINNING OF THE CHOSEN FAMILY 

I. Aim. — 1. To continue the study of the book 
of Beginnings. 2. To teach that Jehovah, unlike 
the gods of other nations, never desired the sacri- 
fice of human life as an act of worship. 3. To 
call attention anew to the connection between 
obedience on the part of man, and the fulfilment 
of his promises on the part of Jehovah. 

II. Material for Study. 
Genesis, chaps., 11 27 — 25 U. 
Dods, Genesis, pp. 56-107. 

Wade, Old Testament History, chaps. 2, 3. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. In the presentation of this lesson there is 
danger of giving the children such an impression 
of the trial imposed upon Abraham, in the matter 
of the sacrifice of Isaac, that they shall gain a 
false idea of the character of Jehovah. The great- 
est care must therefore be taken, in the preparation 
and presentation of the material, both to gain and 
to give such a sense of the times and the surround- 
ings in which the events occurred, as to make 
the events themselves the natural expression of 
the character of Jehovah as interpreted by Abra- 
ham, in complete harmony with the customs of 
the times in which he lived. 

22 



Beginning of the Chosen Family 23 

2. To secure this point of view, read carefully 
all that is suggested in the material for study, 
(especially what is contained in Genesis) concern- 
ing Abraham. Try to picture the original home 
of Abraham, with its worship of the moon-god, 
the migration of Abraham's father from that land; 
and the causes that may have led to it ; the con- 
tinuation of the migration by Abraham, and his 
devotion to a God who had, in some way, spoken 
to his higher self, and who demanded from him 
exclusive worship. Picture the nomadic life in 
the desert, with its wandering from place to place 
where pasture might be found, and its accom- 
panying hardships and solitude, but withal much 
opportunity for the development of personal com- 
munion with Jehovah, and a return to the sim- 
plest forms of worship. 

3. Remember, however, that Abraham in his 
journeyings came frequently into contact with more 
complex civilizations, e. g., that of Egypt. He 
doubtless also retained many memories of forms of 
worship in his original home, and was familiar 
with the custom of human sacrifice. Recall the 
fact that among all oriental peoples the blessings 
of land and household are regarded as directly 
bestowed by the god of the land, and that, in 
return, it was the custom to give back to the god 
the first and best product of all which he had be- 
stowed of flocks or harvests, or, in extreme cases of 



24 An Introduction to the Bible 

devotion, even the first-born child. Under these 
circumstances, is it strange that Abraham should 
have heard the voice of Jehovah in his heart, bid- 
ding him bring his best, even his son, as an offer- 
ing to the God whom he regarded as the author 
of all his prosperity, the only God worthy of his 
worship ? 

4. Read 2 Kings 21 1-6 , and consider whether 
this lesson in regard to the attitude of Jehovah 
toward human sacrifice might not have been called 
forth at a time when it was especially needful that 
this extreme form of sacrifice should receive for 
all time the stamp of disapproval from Israel's 
God. 

In all teaching of the stories of Genesis it is 
well to keep clearly in mind that the story in its 
present form was written for a teaching purpose. 
It may not always be easy to decide what that pur- 
pose was, nor best to make it, if seen, too promi- 
nent in the presentation of the lesson; yet a 
personal conception of the religious purpose of 
the story adds greatly to its force as it stands in 
one's own mind. The prophet who wrote this story 
may have intended to inveigh against the custom 
of human sacrifice, or he may have been striving 
to teach only that Jehovah desired the spirit of 
obedience rather than multiplicity of offerings. 
We cannot tell more exactly, without a more defi- 
nite knowledge of the circumstances under which 



Beginning of the Chosen Family 25 

the story was written, and yet we may be certain 
that he emphasized the obedient spirit as more 
acceptable to Jehovah than the most precious 
gifts. 

5. Study especially the promises to Abraham, 
and note how they accord with the highest ambi- 
tions of an oriental desert sheikh in ancient times 
— a fertile land, numerous posterity through whom 
his name and memory shall be continued, and the 
favor and friendship of the God of his land. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. By way of review, call attention to the 
library contained in the Bible, and question the 
children as to the kinds of books, and the special 
class of books to which the one that they are 
studying belongs. Review by name the stories so 
far as recorded in the notebooks. Let the class 
select one member to tell a story which the class 
also shall choose. If time permits, let two or 
three stories be told in this way. 

2. Sketch the early life and character of Abra- 
ham, his migration, and the promises concerning 
his family and the land. 

3. Dwell upon the religious nature of Abraham, 
and his desire to do something very great for this 
God whom he considered his friend. Then let 
the children read with you in concert, or follow, 
as you read, the story of the command, the journey, 
the deliverance, etc. (Gen., chap. 22). 



26 An Intkoduction to the Bible 

4. Draw from members of the class an expres- 
sion of some reasons why Jehovah delivered 
Isaac; e. g.: (a) The sacrifice of a human being 
could not be pleasing to him ; Abraham must be 
taught that his God was not like the moon-god; 
that to live in obedience to Jehovah was the kind 
of giving of life which he demanded, (b) Had 
not Jehovah always rewarded the spirit of obedi- 
ence by happy and joyful consequences ? Should 
we not, therefore, have expected him to deliver 
Isaac ? 

5. Call here for the memory verse of the week 
1 Sam. 15 2lb . 

V. Written Work. — -Add to the page of be- 
ginnings The Beginning oj I the Chosen Family, 
or such other appropriate title as the children 
choose. 

Since the children are now accustomed to the 
practice of recording the lesson, let them discuss 
the story and decide what shall be written. See 
that they get a good title finally, but let them 
come to it by their own thinking. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen. 
12 i-9. 22 1 " 19 ; chap 24. Memorize Exod. 20 12 ' 16 
(the fifth and ninth commandments). 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — All children are 
interested in primitive tribal life, although their 
knowledge of it is chiefly limited to Indian tribes. 



Beginning of the Chosen Family 27 

Work out from this and transfer the idea to tribal 
life in oriental countries. Talk with them about 
the migration of tribes and the reasons for it. 
Books upon modern oriental life will describe 
many of the same customs and habits of life as 
those current in Abraham's day. Therefore 
through books, pictures, and play try to help the 
child to get the feeling of the oriental mode of 
life and habits of thought. Let him learn of the 
dress, occupations, surroundings, and customs, all 
of which will help to give an invaluable back- 
ground for all future study. If museums are at 
hand, make use of them. It is impossible, in the 
brief time allowed in the Sunday school, to con- 
vey an adequate conception of this most important 
element of historical and social background, yet 
the more vivid the conception of this background, 
the truer will be the appreciation of the stories, on 
the part of either parent or child. 



LESSON VI 

THE STORY OF TWO BROTHERS AND THE CONTINUA- 
TION OF THE PROMISES 

I. Aim. — 1. To continue the stories of the 
beginnings of the Hebrew people. 2. To call 
attention to the repetition of the promises to 
Jacob. 3. To teach that the consequences of a 
dishonorable act continue through life. 

II. Material for Study. 

Genesis, 2519-34; chaps. 27, 28. 
Dods, Genesis, pp. 108-10, 114-22. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Read thoughtfully all the material sug- 
gested, in the order given. Try to imagine the 
half -nomadic, half-agricultural life of the sons of 
Isaac, the influence of the shrewd mother, the 
affection of the father centering upon the elder 
son, that of the mother upon the younger. 

2. Study the differing natures of the two 
brothers, and base your estimate of the character 
of each upon the standards of their times. 

3. Note carefully the ideals of happiness which 
each possessed, and the effort which he put forth 
to attain his ideals. 

4. Consider what the birthright of the eldest 
son included — the headship of the family or tribe, 

28 



Story of the Two Brothers 29 

and in this case the right to receive the contin- 
uation of the promise of Jehovah to Abraham, 
concerning his family. In what estimation did 
Esau and Jacob respectively hold the birthright ? 
5. Study the details of the divine promise 
made to Jacob in connection with the similar 
promises made to Abraham, and consider the 
influence which the tradition of this definite and 
continually repeated promise, and the prosperity 
of those upon whom it was bestowed in these 
early days, must have had upon later generations, 
in establishing faith in the promises of Jehovah, 
and his ability to fulfil them. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. By way of review, let the children spend 
ten minutes in telling stories of their own choosing, 
they also selecting the story-tellers. See that at 
least one or two of the stories from the reading 
and study of the week immediately preceding are 
chosen. As each story is told, call for the concert 
recitation of the memory work which is appropri- 
ate to the particular story. 

2. Recall with emphasis the promise concerning 
the family of Abraham, and the rescue of Isaac 
from sacrificial death, adding a brief introduction 
to the story of Abraham's grandsons, Jacob and 
Esau. Dwell especially upon the advantages which 
the eldest son would expect to receive, according 
to the customs of his times and his country. 



30 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Tell very briefly, reading portions of it 
from the Bible, the story of the sale of the birth- 
right (25 27 " 34 ) ? the conferring of the ill-gotten 
blessing (chap. 27), and the consequent flight of 
Jacob. 

4. Recall again the promises. How could they 
now be fulfilled, Esau having sold his right to 
them, and Jacob having gone away to another 
country ? Give time for thought and suggestions 
from the children. 

5. Let them read in concert with you Gen. 
28 la " 22 , the renewal of the promises to Jacob, espe- 
cially that he should return to the land promised 
him. 

6. Add here a sketch o| the hardships of 
Jacob's life — many years of exile, hard labor 
instead of easy inheritance, the fear of Esau 
always in his heart. Lead the children to draw 
for themselves the inference that the conse- 
quences of a dishonest action are not confined 
to the immediate sequel of the act, but continue 
through life. If possible, illustrate this point 
from something which has recently come under 
the observation of the children in this particular 
class. 

7. Recalling that Jacob's sin was in deceiving 
his father, ask for a concert recitation of the 
memory work for the week (fifth and ninth com- 
mandments). 



Story of the Two Brothers 31 

V. Written Work. — Add to the notebooks a 
suitable name for the story of the day, allowing 
the children to arrange a title; e. g., Jacob and 
the Promise, or something as appropriate. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Bead Gen. 
2527-34. 271-^; 28 10 " 22 . Memorize Exod. 20 17 (the 
tenth commandment). 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — The relation- 
ships most familiar to the child are those of the 
family. Deceit and dishonorable action within 
the family are things which he can understand 
from his own experience, if he has brothers and 
sisters. This story will therefore appeal to him 
strongly. Do not let the evil consequences of 
Jacob's act be lost sight of in the fact that he 
really secured the blessing. Make the week one 
in which to impress upon the children the ideal of 
honorable dealing, one with another, and with the 
parents. 

Since the children have now quite a number of 
stories at command, let them cultivate the habit 
of telling these stories to younger children, to 
each other, or to the parents. Let them see the 
importance of reading the stories often enough to 
keep close to the biblical narrative. Frequent 
reading will lead to a cultivation of the use of the 
biblical language of the story, which is the simplest 
and most picturesque that could be chosen. 



LESSON VII 

STOKIES OF JOSEPH 

I. Aim. — 1. To present a series of stories which 
have ail the best elements of stories of adventure. 
2. To complete the stories of the fathers of the 
Hebrew people. 3. To emphasize further, oil the 
one hand, the beauty of honorable conduct, and, 
on the other, the ugliness of dishonorable acts. 

II. Material for Study, 

Genesis, chaps. 37, 39-50. 
Dods, Genesis, pp. 153-201. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. After reading carefully the material for 
study, try to picture the environment of Joseph in 
Egypt, during the successive changes in his 
fortunes. 

2. Note the attitude of confidence in dreams 
and their fulfilment, prevalent both in Palestine 
and Egypt, so great that in the elaborate civiliza- 
tion of Egypt the interpretation of dreams was a 
recognized profession, official magicians and inter- 
preters being connected with the court. 

3. Is it not possible that in these early days of 
revelation Jehovah employed means of manifesting 
his desires and intentions which are not now 
needed? Should it, on the other hand, be taken 

32 



Stories of Joseph 33 

into account that these stories may be somewhat 
colored by retelling through the centuries before 
they were put into written form, as well as by the 
desire of the writer to glorify this ancestor of the 
Hebrew people? 

4. Do not make the mistake of tracing too 
close and definite connection between the moral 
actions in this story, good and evil, and their con- 
sequences. The children will themselves see the 
wickedness of the conduct of Joseph's brethren, 
and the nobleness of all that was such in the con- 
duct of Joseph. Let them bring these out, 
expressing their admiration of the one, and their 
disapproval of the other. That, in general, the 
wicked brethren encountered misfortune, and the 
innocent and upright brother prospered, they will 
easily see. But it will not be wise to attempt to 
trace a connection of cause and effect between 
particular evil acts and misfortune, and between 
good conduct and prosperity, or to teach that the 
misfortune of the wicked was the divine punish- 
ment for wrong done, or the prosperity of the 
good the reward of good conduct. The lightning 
that burns the barn of the sabbath-breaker some- 
times strikes the church spire also, and in the 
case of the biblical story a bright child might 
suggest that the wrong the brothers of Joseph did 
in selling him brought them good in providing 
someone in Egypt to relieve them when the famine 



34 An Introduction to the Bible 

came. It is .better to rest in the general truth 
that wickedness is wicked and contemptible, and 
that in the long run it is good to be good, and 
bad to be bad. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. — The wealth 
of interesting material in the Joseph stories is so 
great that no one method of presentation can be 
said to be best for every class. Two methods are 
therefore suggested. Choose that which most 
commends itself to you; or use a plan of your 
own, if it seems better. Whatever method of 
presentation is employed, care should be taken to 
give a good background for the stories, (a) con- 
trasting the richness of Egyptian civilization with 
the simplicity of patriarchal life in Palestine, and 
(6) picturing the great famines of that eastern 
country with their causes and effects. 

1. The entire time may be spent in reading 
with the class the successive stories, and in talking 
about them. 

2. The idea of the prominence which is given 
to the stories of the founders of a nation may be 
illustrated from the history of our own or other 
countries. The word " patriarch," as applied to 
the fathers of the Hebrew nation, may be intro- 
duced and explained, and a story of each of the 
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, told by 
children or teacher. One story of Joseph may be 
added to complete the series and to incite the 



Stories of Joseph 35 

children to read further about him. In case only- 
one story is selected, the story of his youth should 
be chosen. 

3. In either case try the experiment of asking 
each child to consider during the week what a 
little boy or girl might learn from the story of 
Joseph, and to bring, on the following Sunday, 
a written and signed paper containing his answer, 
with reasons for it. Very definite and practical 
lessons may appear to the child, and he is likely 
to select one which he needs in his own experience. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the notebooks 
Stories of Joseph. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Eead Gen., 
chap. 37 ; 39 19 ~ 23 , and as much as possible of chaps. 
40-45. Memorize Exod. 20 7 ' 13 ' u < 15 (the third, 
sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments). 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — The cycle of 
Joseph stories runs through Gen., chaps. 37-50, 
omitting chap. 38. If the parent will familiarize 
himself with the entire series, which is too long 
for the children to read, he will be able to add 
some interesting tales of Joseph to those which 
will be read by the children. If there are two or 
three children, they may be taught to tell the 
story as a continued one, one child telling part 
of it, and the next taking it up and carrying it 
further, the next adding still more, and so on. 



36 An Introduction to the Bible 

Thus by varying the order in telling the different 
parts of the story, each child will become familiar 
with all of it. 

At this point should begin, in the home, a sys- 
tematic process of review, telling and retelling, or 
reading and rereading, the stories from Genesis, 
until the child is thoroughly familiar with them, 
and able to find the stories for himself with ease. 
He should be taught to think continually of Genesis 
as a book of beginnings, (a) of the world; (6) of 
sin, and a knowledge of the way in which God 
regards and deals with it; (c) of the Hebrew 
nation. (See review under presentation of Les- 
son VIII.) 



LESSON VIII 

MOSES AND THE EXODUS 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the book of Exodus, 
another book which is named from an important 
event recorded in it. 2. To teach that God care- 
fully preserved the life of a child in order that, 
when he should become a man, he might do a 
great work for his people, and for God. 

II. Material for Study. 

Exodus 1-2017; 241-3. 

Sayce, Early History of the Hebrews, pp. 152-96. 

Wade, Old Testament History, chaps. 4, 5. 

The reference reading here indicated is in- 
tended to cover the material of both this lesson 
and the following one, since it will be helpful to 
get the whole series of events in mind before 
presenting any of them. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. As has been frequently stated, the secret of 
success in presenting any of the Old Testament 
stories is to put oneself into perfect sympathy 
with the situation and environment. Therefore 
read and think until you can throw yourself back 
into Egypt, and can feel the condition of the 
people of Israel, with their grievous burdens. 

2. After reading carefully the outside material 

37 



38 An Introduction to the Bible 

for study, read again and again Exod., chaps. 
1-15, and familiarize yourself thoroughly with 
the order of the events. The biblical material is 
too extensive to read in class; it is therefore neces- 
sary to present it in outline. It will be well to 
write out for yourself a story of Moses, beginning 
with his flight from Egypt as a young man, and 
continuing to the crossing of the Red Sea. Make 
it condensed and picturesque. Emphasize the 
call and the promise of Jehovah's assistance in 
his task; do not dwell upon the details of the 
plagues, but pass quickly over to the circumstances 
of the exodus, emphasizing all the time the fact 
that Jehovah was faithful to his promise to help 
Moses, and in each crisis came to his aid. Work 
over this story until you are fairly well satisfied 
with it, and then learn to tell it vividly. As you 
work and think and read, you will gain an increas- 
ingly strong conception of the magnitude of the 
task which Moses was called to perform. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. In review let the children read from their 
notebooks the divisions of their library, and the 
general information about the Bible. Let them 
name the class of books to which the one that 
they have been studying belongs, and recall the 
common characteristic of the stories, emphasizing 
again the idea of beginnings. Call for volunteers 
to tell the story of four different beginnings, let- 



Moses and the Exodus 39 

ting each choose the story which he will tell. 
After each story let the memory work appropriate 
to it be recited in concert. Ask for the name of 
the book and the meaning of the name. 

2. If any two children are familiar enough 
with the story of the infancy of Moses to tell it, 
let one tell the story and the other help him out 
when assistance is needed. If no one is ready to 
tell the story, read Exod. 2 1_1 °, letting the chil- 
dren follow closely in their Bibles. 

3. Distinguish between the Pharaoh who 
treated Joseph so kindly, and the Pharaoh of the 
time of Moses, several centuries later. Introduce 
as vivid a picture as possible of life in Egypt, 
among both the Egyptians and the oppressed 
Hebrews. 

4. Now tell the story of Moses and his mis- 
sion, which you have prepared. 

5. By questioning get the children to think 
out for themselves, (a) a reason why Jehovah so 
carefully preserved the life of the baby Moses, 
and (6) a reason for his caring for boys and girls 
today, namely, that they, when they are men and 
women, may do important work for him. Let 
them discuss some great work which they would 
like to do. 

6. Call attention to the fact that this story is 
in a new book, Exodus. Tell the children to try 
to find out during the week what the word "exo- 



40 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

dus" means, and to be ready next Sunday to tell 
why this book is called the book of Exodus. 

V. Written Work. — On a fresh page of the 
blank books write the title Exodus, and under it 
(1) The Story of the Baby Moses, (2) The Exo- 
dus from Egypt. The title of the book, used in 
this connection, will excite interest. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Bead Exod. 
2 i-io . !4 5-3i # Memorize Exod. 20 « 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — A new hero al- 
ways arouses fresh interest. The stories of Moses 
contained in Exod., chaps. 1-17, are so numerous 
that a new one may be found for each day in the 
week. Let the parent therefore supplement the 
work of Sunday, by carrying on a continued story 
of Moses, from his infancy to the arrival of the 
hosts of Israel at Mount Sinai. 



LESSON IX 

THE GIVING OF THE LAW 

I. Aim. — 1. To study further the book of 
'Exodus. 2. To develop the idea of the origin of 
law in necessity. 3. To show the fundamental 
character of the Ten Commandments. 

II. Material for Study (see Lesson VIII). 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. By reading the suggested reference books, 
and especially the material in Exod. I 8 " 14 ; 12 37 " 38 ; 
X45-31. 1522-27. chap# 16 . 171-7. 18i— 20 17 ? fix clearly 

in mind the following points : (a) the character of 
the people of whom Moses was the recognized 
leader ; (b) the difficulties attending the migration 
of this large body of people over a desert coun- 
try — a journey taken suddenly and without de- 
tailed preparation ; (c) the exigencies which would 
necessarily arise, the murmurings and the possible 
rebellion ; (d) the qualities of leadership shown in 
Moses's method of dealing with the people; (e) 
the necessity for the maintenance of law and order 
in such a mixed multitude ; (/) the first great step 
toward order — organization ; (g) the second step — 
formal law ; (h) the solemnity attending the giving 
of the law. 

2. Study carefully the code of laws contained 

41 



42 An Introduction to the Bible 

in Exod. 20 1 " 17 . Analyze it by subject, e. g., two 
regulations concerning worship, one concerning 
the sabbath, etc. Study each command in two 
relations: first in its application to the needs of 
the particular occasion and circumstances under 
which it was given, and second in its relation to 
the human race in all ages. 

3. Now turn to statements 2 and 3, under the 
"Aim" of this lesson, and consider whether you 
have material which you can systematize in such 
a way as to accomplish the end desired. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Review the stories from Genesis by title. 
When the stories have been named, let them be 
found one by one, the children holding up their 
Bibles as they succeed. A little rivalry in this 
exercise will make eyes and fingers work quickly. 
Recall again the meaning of the word "genesis," 
and the character of the stories (beginnings). 

2. Call for reports upon the meaning of the 
word "exodus." After the word is understood, 
use it systematically in its appropriate connection 
until the title of the book becomes, in the minds 
of the children, inseparably associated with the 
events of the book. Let one pupil tell the story 
of the exodus, and the crossing of the Red Sea. 

3. Draw as vivid a word-picture as possible of 
the conditions of the people in their desert life 
under the leadership of Moses. Recall the mixed 



The Giving of the Law 43 

multitude: as many people as in a large town, 
men, women, and children ; men who had worked 
at brickmaking all their lives, perhaps; men who 
had always been shepherds; and men who had 
been engaged in the various trades of Egypt; 
good men and bad men, good mothers and care- 
less mothers, good children and bad children; all 
traveling through the desert together, going on by 
day, and sleeping in tents at night; having for 
food the white manna which fell in the night 
and the quails which flew about the camp every 
evening. There were multitudes of cattle also 
and thousands of sheep. How slowly they must 
travel! Recall the vast stretches of country where 
there was no water; then perhaps long stops in 
places where there was pasture and water to last 
for a season. Picture the occasions when the 
people became unruly and rebellious, and blamed 
Moses for bringing them out into the desert to suf- 
fer and perhaps to die, former hardships forgotten 
in the recollection that in Egypt they had at least 
plenty to eat and to drink; and, after three 
months, while yet a long way from Canaan, the 
stop at Mount Sinai, where Jehovah, whom they 
were going to worship, was supposed to dwell. 

4. Lead the children by questions to an ex- 
pression of the conditions which would exist in a 
great city where there were all kinds of people, 
but no laws and no policemen. Let them transfer 



44 An Introduction to the Bible 

this condition of things to the desert, and imagine 
what this crowd of people would do with no laws 
and no one to enforce them, and only one man, 
Moses, whose authority they recognized. 

5. Let someone suggest what might be done, 
and lead to the story of the appointment of rulers 
over tens, hundreds, etc., with Moses over all, 
and Jehovah giving instructions through Moses. 

6. Lead to the idea that there must be laws by 
which the people who ruled could judge, and by 
which all the people could live. Read at this 
point, simplifying only when necessary, chap. 19. 

7. Let the children now recite the memory 
verses for the week, Exod. 20 1 " 3 , and then read the 
remaining commandments. They will see that 
the laws which they have been learning constituted 
the law which was given at this time by Moses, 
and which was needed by thes6 people, in the wil- 
derness. 

8. Ask the children to mark off in their Bibles 
the first phrase of each command, containing the 
simple command or prohibition without the accom- 
panying reason. Let them consider whether the 
commands given to the people in the wilderness in 
this simple, shortened form, are of any use to us, 
since we are a different people, with different ways 
of living and different ways of thinking. When 
they have decided that the laws are still useful, 
encourage them to give some reason for their de- 



The Giving of the Law 45 

cision — reasons which are really the result of 
thinking. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Exodus page 
The Giving of the Law. 

VI. Home Work for the Children,— Read Exod., 
chaps. W^ld^O 1 - 11 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — This lesson af- 
fords an opportunity to return to the study of 
migratory life. This time the leader is not the 
head of a family or clan, but of a whole race of 
people, a political rather than a family relation- 
ship. This is the only story that will be presented 
from the many recorded in connection with the 
journeyings to Canaan and the wilderness events, 
related in Exod., chaps. 16-18; Numb. 9 15 " 23 ; 
chaps. 11, 13, 14, 21 4 " 9 , 22-24; Deut. 32 44 " 52 ; 
Josh., chaps. 3, 4. Some of these stories may be 
read from the Bible, others, for the sake of brevity 
and clearness, told without reading. They will 
all tend to make vivid the impression of the jour- 
ney of the people, and the final entry into the 
promised land. See also the books named under 
" Suggestions to Parents," Lesson V. 



LESSON X 

DEBORAH AND BARAK 

I. Aim, — 1. To introduce the books of Joshua 
and Judges. 2. To give an impression of the times 
of the Judges, and the struggles of the conquest. 
3. To teach that trust in God brings victory. 

II. Material for Study. 

The book of Judges, especially chapters indicated 
under the following section. 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 165-212. 
Sayce, Early History of the Hebrews, pp. 243-331. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Glance through the book of Joshua, and 
note that Joshua the warrior is the central figure, 
and that the book deals with the conquest of the 
land, and its division among the tribes. 

2. Note that, beginning with the third chap- 
ter, the book of Judges seems to give a history of 
approximately the same period — that is, the set- 
tling down of the tribes in Canaan, and the gradual 
displacement of the Canaanites, the peoples occu- 
pying the land at the time when the Israelites 
came into it. 

3. After reading the suggested pages in the 
outside books mentioned under "Material for 
Study," read the following stories from Judges, in 

46 



Deborah and Barak 47 

order to gain a vivid conception of the savagery, 
misrule, and anarchy of the times, and the very 
primitive social and religions life: (a) the story 
of Ehud, chap. 3 ; (6) the story of Deborah, chaps. 
4, 5 ; (c) the stories of Gideon, chaps. 6, 7, 8 ; (d) 
the story of Jephthah, chaps. 11, 12; (e) the 
stories of Samson, chaps. 13-J6; (/) the story of 
Micah, chaps. 17, 18. 

4. Recall the Canaanites still in the land, with 
their idolatrous worship, and their more complex 
civilization. Consider the probable extent of 
their influence upon the tribes coming in from the 
simple nomadic life of the desert. Would not 
many naturally be drawn away from their earlier 
simple forms of worship, even though faithful to 
the worship of Jehovah ? 

5. Remember that the Judges whose warlike 
lives are described were probably only local authori- 
ties, since the tribes were widely scattered, and 
there is evidence of only occasional unity of action 
among them. 

6. Consider again how, nevertheless, there were 
current among the Hebrews oral traditions, at 
least, concerning their marvelous deliverance from 
Egypt, the giving of the law, the lives of the pa- 
triarchs, the world stories of beginnings. 

7. Reflect that one of the strongest factors in 
Israel's belief in her God, Jehovah, as superior 
to the gods of other nations, was that confidence, 



48 An Introduction to the Bible 

gained by the people through their own experience, 
in his power to preserve them in peril, and to 
deliver them from their enemies. 

8. Keeping in mind the conditions which you 
have found, reread carefully the story of Deborah 
and Barak, chap. 4, and the song of triumph over 
the victory of Israel, chap. 5. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Make this a story session. Let one child 
tell the story of Abraham offering Isaac ; another, 
the night of the exodus and the deliverance at the 
Red Sea; another, the giving of the law. In con- 
nection with the latter story call for a concert 
recitation of the commandments, using the brief 
form indicated in a previous lesson. 

Remark. — Variety may be introduced in the method 
of story-telling by having one child tell a story, and another 
assist when necessary; or one may tell the story and the 
others criticise afterward; or one child may act as critic 
for all the stories. Children tire of even so attractive an 
exercise as story-telling, if it is always conducted in the 
same way. 

2. Read to the class Judg. 17 6 , and upon the 
basis of this, and the background which you have 
gained from your reading, picture the times. Allow 
the children to assist you by themselves suggesting 
what might be the state of things in a community 
where "might was right;" where several strong 
and determined peoples were contending for pos- 
session of the same land; where methods of war- 



Deborah and Barak 49 

fare were cruel and treacherous; where there was 
no central government, and only local heroes and 
leaders. 

Call attention to the fact that all the peoples 
with whom the Israelites were fighting for pos- 
session of the land served other gods than Jehovah 
— gods of wood and stone, the sun, or possibly the 
moon and the stars ; that when they went into bat- 
tle they called upon their gods to help them. If 
they won, they thought it was because their gods 
had answered them. If they failed, they thought 
that the gods were angry with them. But Jehovah, 
Israel's God, never failed her when she trusted in 
him. Sometimes the people forgot this and lost 
their courage and trust in Jehovah and turned to 
the worship of other gods. But we know, although 
the people of those times did not know it, that 
Jehovah had chosen Israel to teach the world 
about himself, and so, gradually, they must learn 
that he was greater than all the gods of other 
nations, and indeed the only god, though they did 
not learn that for many, many years, even centuries. 

3. Now tell the story in chap. 4 simply. Pass 
over as lightly as possible the treacherous act of 
Jael, explaining that in this early time it was the 
custom to kill a fleeing enemy, because in those 
days God had not yet taught the world that human 
life is precious. We imprison captives of war, 
instead of killing them. 



50 An Introduction to the Bible 

4. Show the children a silver dollar, and let 
them see what is stamped upon its margin, They 
will notice that our national watchword is the 
same as that of Israel, "In God we trust," and will 
recall that Israel's God is ours also. If our cause 
be a good one, shall we still look for the victory ? 

5. If there is time, call attention to the great 
poem about the battle, written by someone who 
was filled with pride and joy when he thought of 
it, and read a portion of the Song of Deborah, 
Judg., chap. 5, omitting, for the sake of brevity 
and clearness, vss. 14-18, inclusive, and 28-30, 
inclusive. (This should not be attempted by a 
teacher who reads poorly. The language and style 
render it difficult for a child to follow, and it must 
be presented clearly and effectively if at all.) 

V. Written Work. — Introduce the written work 
by a word about the man and the book Joshua. 
Let the children find the book, and then write, on 
a fresh page, Joshua and Judges; Stories of the 
Conquest. Under this write (1) Deborah and 
Barak. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Head Gen. , 
chap. 37, and as much as possible of chaps. 39-45, 
and Judg., chap. 4. Memorize Psalm 1. Two 
weeks will be allowed for memorizing this psalm. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — It is well con- 
tinually to impress the children with the low moral 



Deborah and Barak 51 

standards of these early days in Israel, and to let 
them feel that it was due to a lack of knowledge 
about God. If this background for appreciation 
is secured, the fascinating stories of Jephthah, 
chaps. 11, 12, and of Samson, chaps. 13-16, may 
be told without fear of leading the children into 
the error of believing that the heroes in these 
early years are models for them to follow and 
admire, just because the stories are found in the 
Bible. 



LESSON XI 

GIDEON AND HIS THREE HUNDRED 

I. Aim. — 1. To continue the study of the 
book of Judges. 2. To deepen the impression 
of the times of the Judges. 3. To teach a les- 
son of courage and self-control, and further to 
illustrate the result of trust in God. 

TI. Material for Study. 

See Lesson X for outside reading. 
Judges, chaps. 6, 7, 8. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Since this lesson deals with the same period 
as the last, the suggestions for preparation under 
paragraphs 2-7 of Lesson X may be followed. 

2. Reread chaps. 6, 7, 8, containing the stories 
of Gideon, not as a continuous narrative, but as 
a collection of stories about a popular national 
hero. Try to get a distinct impression of the 
man, from the characteristics brought out by the 
stories; e. g., his valor, his enthusiasm for Jeho- 
vah, his belief in the power of Jehovah, his 
sagacity, his passionate revenge, his self-control. 
Do not try to find in this story, any more than in 
the story of Deborah and Barak, deep religious 
truth. Consider it rather as portraying in vivid 
colors the times of unrest and disorder accom- 

52 



Gideon and His Three Hundred 53 

panying the conquest and settlement of Canaan. 
The one great religious fact which these stories 
present is that the God of Israel was giving proof 
of his faithfulness and his power, by enabling the 
Israelites, against great odds, to defeat their 
enemies, and to possess the land according to his 
promises, the people themselves being still upon 
a low moral plane. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Talk informally, especially with the boys, 
about heroes, our national heroes, and others of 
whom they have heard or read. Call attention to 
the fact that when people go to live in a new 
country, where possession of the land is gained 
by fighting, it is the war-heroes who become 
famous. 

2. Recall the chaotic condition of things in 
Canaan, as described on the previous Sunday — 
the lawlessness, the local judges, the oppression 
by the more numerous and powerful Canaanites, 
etc. If possible, impress the picture more vividly 
than before. Recall the story of Deborah, the 
battle, and the wonderful way in which Jehovah 
fought for Israel with a great storm for his 
weapon. Call upon some child to tell the story 
for the especial benefit of those who were absent 
upon the previous Sunday. 

3. Now describe the especially trying raids of 
the Midianites, and the desire of Gideon to deliver 



54 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

his people from them. Tell the story of Gideon 
which is contained in 6 33 — 7 25 . 

4. Put together the two stories of the conquest 
period which have been presented, and call atten- 
tion again to the inferiority of the armies of Israel, 
in numbers and equipment, as compared with their 
enemies, and the fact that in the first instance 
they gained the victory because of the direct aid 
of Jehovah in a storm, and the second time suc- 
cess was due to Jehovah's choice of the best men 
to fight the battle. Let the children select some 
of the qualities which these men possessed; e. g., 
caution, self-control, courage, sympathy with their 
oppressed countrymen, who had been robbed and 
ill-treated. Call attention to the fact that it was 
the three hundred men who were in haste to work 
and to fight for Jehovah who were chosen to win 
the victory. So eager were they that they could 
not wait to kneel and drink at the brook, but, 
stooping, lapped the water quickly and ran on. 

5. Remind the children again that Jehovah 
had chosen the people, Israel, that he might teach 
them, and through them the world, about himself. 
Let the children think what characteristics of 
Jehovah he was teaching Israel in these events of 
the conquest; e. g., his strength, and faithfulness. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Judges and 
Joshua page (2) Gideon and his Three Hundred. 



Gideon and His Three Hundred 55 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen., 
chap. 22; Exod. 2 1 " 10 ; Judg., chap. 7. Memorize 
Psalm 1. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — It will be well 
to take an opportunity at this time to review many 
of the stories already studied. Let this be done 
with the purpose of comparing the characters of 
the different men, helping the children to decide 
concerning the good qualities of each, and in what 
way these qualities were of value in the particular 
events of the story in which they appear. Let 
the review also include practice in finding the 
stories quickly. 



LESSON XII 

THE BOY SAMUEL 

I. Aim. — : 1. To introduce the books of Samuel. 
2. To give an impression of the times of the 
Judges in the matter of worship. 3. To suggest 
that God is ready to employ even little children 
in his service, if they are obedient and coura- 
geous, and listen for his voice in their hearts. 

II. Material for Study. 

1 Samuel, chaps. 1, 2, 3. 

Articles on Tabernacle, Ark, Shiloh in a dictionary of 
the Bible, such as that of Hastings or Smith. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. % 

1. Read carefully the first two chapters of 
Samuel, remembering that the events belong to 
the latter part of the period of the Judges, and 
consider the religious life of the times as presented 
in these chapters. 

2. Note the place of worship, Shiloh, where 
the ark is kept ; the yearly trip to Shiloh to offer 
sacrifices; the acts of worship, e. #., the sacrificial 
meal, the vow, prayer, the dedication of a child to 
Jehovah, for service in his house. 

3. Consider the possible routine of the life of 

Samuel : assisting in the sacrifices and in the care 

of the tent, perhaps also studying the law of 

Jehovah which was kept there, keeping the light 

56 



The Boy Samuel 57 

burning on the altar, waiting on the priests. If 
the annual journey to Shiloh was the custom of 
all the Israelites from the surrounding country, 
estimate the work that would be involved in the 
offering of their sacrifices alone, not to speak of 
other possible ceremonies connected with the 
place of meeting. 

4. Observe also the regular customs of the 
priests, alluded to, and the abuse of these customs 
by the sons of Eli, as well as the carelessness and 
lack of discipline displayed by Eli himself. 

5. Consider especially 3 1 , indicating that the 
knowledge of Jehovah's desires was not wide- 
spread, and that it was considered necessary to 
visit his sanctuary, and to make sacrifices to him, 
also that it was thought that requests made at that 
place in connection with the sacrifice would more 
readily receive his attention. 

6. Let your thought center about the child, 
reared amid these conflicting influences, and note 
that his character was such that obedience, cour- 
age, and purity were developed, rather than dis- 
honor, and irreverence, as in the case of Eli's sons, 
and therefore to him God is able to reveal his 
purposes. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. From the written work, or in any way which 
seems best, give a pretty thorough review of the 
books thus far studied. 



58 An Introduction to the Bible 

2. Let two stories be chosen by as many chil- 
dren and told to the class, each story to be ac- 
companied by a statement of the book where it is 
found. 

3. Draw from the class a list of our customary 
acts of worship — going to church, singing, pray- 
ing, helping people, reading the Bible, going to 
Sunday school, and the like. 

Picture, in contrast, the worship of the times 
of the Judges — the tent, the priests, the ark, the 
altar and the sacrifices, the servitors about the 
tent, the children given to the service of Jehovah, 
the kind of service which they might render. 

4. Show how corrupt the worship had become, 
so that there was no one about the Tent of Meet- 
ing good and pure enough to hear the voice of 
Jehovah, except one little boy. 

5. Tell or read the story in^ 1 " 18 . 

6. Draw attention to the obedience and cour- 
age of Samuel. Let the children talk about such 
traits in the boys and girls whom they know. 
Lead them, if "possible, to feel that to be brave 
and obedient is a necessary qualification for one 
who wishes to do service for Jehovah. Remind 
them that, since now we know that God is every- 
where, and not confined to a single tent or place, 
we know that children may serve him in their own 
homes as truly as did Samuel in the Tent of 
Meeting; but now as then it is the obedient, the 



The Boy Samuel 59 

courageous child upon whom God relies to help 
him, and now as then it is an honor to be chosen 
for the service of God. In this connection call 
for the concert recitation of Psalm 1. 

V. Written Work. — On a new page write The 
Books of Samuel and underneath (1) The Boy 
Samuel. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Gen. 
27 x " 45 ; 1 Sam. 3 1 " 18 . Memorize Psalm 23. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — This Israelitish 
boy Samuel was just such a boy as can be found 
in thousands of homes today. Try to find the 
common ground between him and your own boys 
and girls. Talk over his daily life with the chil- 
dren — his dress, his work, his play, his relation to 
his playmates. Taking the background from that 
which you have learned concerning oriental life, fill 
in the picture by the use of your own and the chil- 
dren's imagination. Select, for instance, a day in 
Samuel's life, and let a description of it be written 
out. Talk over the results with the children, and 
point out any possible errors. The whole object 
is to make the children feel that Samuel was a 
real boy, in a real world, this world, and to lead 
them to see that in this day Samuel would have 
served God as truly as in his own day. It was 
the character of the boy that determined his con- 
duct, not the age in which he lived. Suggest 



60 An Introduction to the Bible 

that each child find some special way in which he 
may serve God, the particular service being not a 
matter for discussion among the children, but of 
confidence between the parent and child, or better 
still between the child and God. To attempt to 
force confidence in the matter of the religious life 
of the child would be an unwarrantable intrusion 
upon his personality. 



LESSON XIII 

STORIES OF DAVID, THE HERO 

I. Aim* — 1. To continue the study of the 
books of Samuel. 2. To present David, the hero, 
under various circumstances. 3. To discover, for 
imitation and admiration, noble and manly traits 
of character. 

II. Material for Study. 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 213-93. 
1 Samuel, chaps. 1-31, especially chaps. 16-31. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Study carefully the progress of the nation, 
from the period of the Judges, with its lack of 
unity and organization in government, to the more 
formal kingdom under Saul. Note, however, that 
there is no mention of the customary accompani- 
ments of a kingdom, that is, a court, an aristocracy, 
a luxurious class. The early kingdom seems thus 
to have been not much more than a binding 
together of the different tribes under a great 
military leader, Saul. 

2. Familiarize yourself with the stories of 
David, regarding them not as a continuous and 
connected history of his early life, but as a collec- 
tion of stories, perhaps from different sources, cele- 
brating the achievements of Israel's greatest hero. 

61 



62 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Admitting in these stories the presence of 
differing points of view in the narrators, try to 
discover for yourself such characteristics of David 
as are common to them, for instance, his natural 
courage, his capacity for friendship, his trust in 
Jehovah his God, his peculiar loyalty to the king, 
his aesthetic nature seen in his love of music, his 
poetic impulse expressed in his lament over Saul 
and Jonathan, and in Psalms such as the eighth 
and the twenty-fourth. 

4. Fix clearly in your own mind the particular 
events to which each story is related, so that you 
may be able to introduce any story intelligently 
and in the fewest possible words. 

IV. Presentation of Material. 

1. Allowing the class to recall the various 
heroes about whom stories have been read in pre- 
vious lessons, talk with them about the peculiar 
virtues of each. 

2. By recalling the stories from Judges, and 
1 Samuel, chap. 2, picture again the times of the 
Judges. 

3. Pass from this to a description of the king- 
dom, and the slightly differing conditions under 
the influence of Samuel the prophet and Saul the 
king. Point out on a wall map the location of 
the Philistines, describing their constant invasions 
of Israelitish territory. 

4. Introduce David the shepherd boy, with a 



Stories of David, the Hero 63 

few words of description of his family and his 
shepherd life, and let the class read with you from 
1 Samuel, chap. 17, the story of David and Goli- 
ath. Draw from the class comments upon David's 
courage, his loyalty to his God, and other noble 
qualities. 

5. Sketch brief! v an outline of David's life at 
the court of Saul, and as the chief warrior in 
Saul's army, his victories, his increasing popu- 
larity, the jealousy of Saul, and his desire to kill 
David. 

Tell the story of the taking of Saul's spear 
and cruse, chap. 26, and add to your character- 
ization generosity, loyalty to the king, and any 
other trait which seems pertinent. If the state- 
ment of these qualities is written upon the black- 
board, and allowed to remain until the following 
Sunday, the children will be able to keep the 
points more clearly in mind. 

6. Note that in all this you are not trying to 
study any one story minutely, but simply to give 
the children an all-around impression of a man in 
whom they will be interested, and about whom 
they will wish to read further for themselves. Ask 
each child to write out in his own language, after 
reading the stories assigned for the week, the 
story about David which he likes best, and to 
bring the story to the class on the following 
Sunday. 



64 An Introduction to the Bible 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Samuel page 
(2) David and Goliath, (3) David and King 
Saul. 

VI. Home Work for the Children.— Eead 1 
Sam., chaps. 17, 16 1 " 13 , 24, 26, and write the 
story in chap. 26 in your own words. Memorize 
Psalm 23. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — The idea of the 
choosing of a ruler is one of practical importance, 
to children living under a democratic government. 
We have an opportunity here to study two per- 
sons, one already a king, the other about to be- 
come one, and to compare the qualities which 
they possess, and their fitness for the high office 
of ruler of a people. Let the children discuss the 
qualifications which they think it would have been 
necessary for a king to possess in the time of 
David, and compare them with the qualities 
needed in a ruler today. They may look for evi- 
dences of these qualities in the president of our 
own country, and the rulers of other countries 
about which they know. This subject may be 
discussed in connection with both this and the 
following lesson, perhaps selecting for this first 
week only the simplest elemental virtues, courage, 
loyalty, and like qualities. 



LESSON XIV 

DAVID THE KING 

I. Aim. — 1. To associate the books of Samuel 
more closely with the life of David. 2. To teach 
that even a great man, chosen of God, will be 
punished if he wilfully disobeys the law of God. 

II. Material for Study. 

2 Samuel, chaps. 1-24. 

Wade, Old Testament History, see Lesson XIII. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Complete the reading of the life of David, 
noting the rapid growth of the kingdom under his 
guidance, the organization of the nation, the 
establishment of a court involving political and 
military offices, the selection of Jerusalem as the 
capital, the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem. 
Consider the importance of this centralization of 
the political, military, social, and religious life of 
the kingdom in one city. 

2. Recalling the bright picture of David's 
character drawn from the stories of his early life, 
consider the traits developed in his later years, 
under the influence of his great success and 
popularity, and illustrated in his treatment of 
Uriah, his cruelty to his conquered foes, his fear 
of his own sons, and other instances. 

65 



66 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Are not all the trials of David's later life, 
at least in the estimation of the writer of the 
story of this portion of his life, to be traced di- 
rectly or indirectly to his great sin — his yielding 
to the lower rather than the higher impulses of 
his nature? 

4. Recall all the stories of the results of dis- 
obedience previously studied, and bring them 
together in your mind — -the beginning of sin, the 
flood, the life of Jacob, and others. Is not the 
thought of the prophet-writer here, as in these 
early stories, simply to teach the result of dis- 
obedience to the will of Jehovah? 

Does the action of David seem more or less 
reprehensible, as we study his times, and his 
generally superior traits of character? 

Is not his repentance more remarkable than 
his sin? 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Having collected the slips containing the 
children's choice of stories, read a few of them to 
the class, and make such comments as seem wise. 
Ask for reasons for the choice made. Let these 
reasons be discussed. The children should be 
made to feel that this is an important piece of work, 
although it is probable that only the more intelli- 
gent members of the class will bring in papers. 

2. Call attention again to the characteristics of 
David discovered in the previous lesson, and see 



David the King 67 

if the children are ready to add any more admi- 
rable qualities to those already noted. Nothing 
should be added unless it can be illustrated by a 
story or incident. 

3. Recall to the children the stories of dis- 
obedience which they have studied — the first sin, 
the flood, etc. Relate now the following facts 
concerning David's sin in taking the wife of Uriah, 
and bringing about the death of Uriah: David, 
the king, rich, having already many wives, saw 
from the housetop a beautiful woman. He desired 
her for his wife. He sent to find out to whom 
she belonged, and learned that she was the only 
wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his trusted sol- 
diers. He coveted her, and sent and took her 
from Uriah's house. He sent her back before 
Uriah's return from the war, but still intended to 
have her for himself. After thinking about the 
matter for a time, he sent for Uriah, gave him a 
letter containing instructions to Joab, the chief 
captain of the army of the king, to place Uriah in 
the very front of the battle, when the attack upon 
a certain city should be made, and to leave him 
exposed to the darts of the enemy, so that he 
would certainly be killed. Everything was done as 
he wished, and Uriah was killed. News of his death 
was taken to David, and, after allowing a brief 
period of mourning for Uriah's death, he took the 
wife of Uriah to his home and made her his wife. 



68 An Introduction to the Bible 

Let the children consider the morality of this 
action. Did David break the command, "Thou 
shalt not covet"? Did he break the command, 
" Thou shalt not kill"? 

4. Let the children now read with you the 
reproof of the prophet Nathan, 'A Sam. 12 1 " 15 . 

5. Sketch briefly and graphically David's later 
trials, especially in connection with Absalom, and 
recall the teaching of previous lessons, that, 
although God may forgive sin, it produces evil 
consequences that go on through life, affecting not 
only the wrongdoer, but others as well. It makes 
no difference how rich or powerful a man may be ; 
even a king appointed by God cannot escape the 
consequences of his sin. 

Shall we then always think of David as the 
sorrowful old man? No, because we remember 
that when he was at his best he was — (read here 
from the blackboard the good qualities which 
were found in David's character), and in a psalm 
which the ancient Jews believed that David wrote 
we read that he prayed 

" Create in me a clean heart, O God; 
And renew a right spirit within me." 

Does God always forgive people who have done 
wrong, if they earnestly desire it and are sorry on 
account of their sin? 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Samuel page 



David the King 69 

(4) David the King, His Disobedience and Pun- 
ishment. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Eead Gen. 
2±_324. e 9 ' 22 ; 25 28 ' 34 ; 27 1 " 45 . Memory work- 
review the Ten Commandments. 

Parts should be assigned on this day for the 
following Sunday. See Lesson XV. For read- 
ing, the parts may be underlined in the children's 
Bibles. (This work should be done outside the 
school hour.) 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Let the con- 
sideration of the character desirable in a man who 
is to rule a nation be continued, leading the 
children to think more closely. Questions of 
private life, and the finer points of honor, may be 
suggested and discussed. Here is an excellent 
opportunity to lay the foundations of the sound 
judgment and unflinching righteousness which 
citizenship in a republic demands. 



LESSON XV 

THE STOEY OF KUTH 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce a small book which 
can be read in its entirety, by the child, at one 
sitting. 2. To convey an impression of the pos- 
sible character of the times of the Judges in 
respect to domestic life.* 3. To call attention to 
the interest attached to the stories of ancestors. 
4. To portray the beauty of family love and 
loyalty. 

II. Material for Study. 

The book of Ruth. 

Wade, Old Testament History •, pp. 186, 223. 
Moulton, Biblical Idyls, Introduction, pp. 26, 27; note 
pp. 131, 132, or any modern commentary on Ruth. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall the confused conditions existing in 
the times of the Judges, indicated by the stories 
in the book of Judges, and reflect that, side by 
side with all the barbarity and war, there must 
have existed some sort of domestic life. Read the 
early code of laws contained in Exod. 20 23 — 23 ^ 
and select all the regulations concerning the life 
of the family and its members, including servants. 

* The question of the possible origin of the book of Ruth in the 
late period of Hebrew history, when the question of the mixed mar- 
riages between Israel and the surrounding nations was a burning 
one, is not affected by its use here for the purpose of teaching a 
simpler lesson. 

70 



The Story of Ruth 71 

2. Recall the stories of Sarah, Rachel, and 
Hannah, beloved but childless wives, and note 
that to them nothing could compensate for the 
great calamity of childlessness, a fact indicating 
that in the oriental thought motherhood was the 
crowning joy and desire of womanhood. In view 
of this fact, and of the reverence with which par- 
ents were regarded, would there not naturally be 
preserved numberless stories of ancestors? It is 
not therefore strange that this story of David's 
great-grandmother should have been preserved 
and deemed worthy of reproduction in its present 
form of literary beauty. 

3. Read Deut. 25 5 ~ 10 , and note the ancient law 
of redemption which finds illustration in the story. 
See also "Material for Study." 

4. Bear in mind that, while this book illus- 
trates an ancient custom which the children can- 
not appreciate, they can feel the constancy and 
fidelity of Ruth in her relations with her mother- 
in-law, and the reward which came to her in the 
love of Boaz. They will also be interested in the 
story of Ruth, as an ancestor of David, and will 
like this story as one which must have been cher- 
ished among David's descendants. 

5. Note for your own appreciation the idyllic 
simplicity of the story, both in the facts and in 
the manner of relating them. Here in four short 
chapters we have the material for a novel. 



72 An Introduction to the Bible 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall for the children the stories of war 
and bloodshed from the times of the Judges. Let 
one of the children tell the story of Deborah. 
Read Judg. 5 7 , and suggest that in the midst of 
all the political confusion family life still went on, 
and even Deborah herself is called a "Mother in 
Israel" as a title of honor. 

2. Try to present a picture of the domestic 
side of life in these times — the wheat that must 
be planted, the vineyards that must be cared for, 
the olives to be pressed out for oil, the sheep to 
be tended, the little children to be looked after. 
Let other things which might be necessary be 
suggested by the children, and explain how all 
domestic and much field work was done, according 
to the oriental custom, by the women. 

3. Arouse the interest of the children in family 
stories, those of their own grandparents, and of 
the ancestors of famous men in our own day ; and 
suggest that in King David's family there were 
doubtless many interesting stories, one of which 
we shall read, the story of the great-grandparents 
of David. 

4. With proper introduction, let the children, 
who have previously been selected with reference 
to their ability to read clearly and distinctly, pre- 
sent, with you, the dialogue arrangement of the 
book, which you have given them. If this can be 



The Story of Ruth 73 

done without books, it will be more effective ; but 
that is not necessary to get the reality of the situa- 
tion, which is the object in view. 

5. If possible, have ready to show after the 
dialogue a copy of Millet's "The Gleaners," which 
may afterward be hung in the class-room; or if 
that is not possible, perhaps small copies (the 
Perry penny pictures) may be given to the chil- 
dren to take home. 

6. Let all repeat together the fifth command- 
ment. 

V. Written Work. — On a new page write The 
Book of Ruth, and under that The Story of 
David' } s Great-Grandparents, 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Head Gen., 
chap. 24; Ruth, chaps. 1, 2, and 4 13_1T . Memory 
work, review Psalm 1. Four children should be 
appointed to prepare especially for next Sunday's 
work. See Lesson XVI, Section IV, 5. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — After the dia- 
logue presentation, the inventive ones among the 
children will possibly enjoy presenting a little 
play of Boaz and Ruth. Help them to invent the 
costumes and to select the dialogue so as to make 
the whole story realistic. 

The quieter children may make a collection of 
stories of parents and grandparents, of persons 
whom they have read about — Abraham, Isaac, 



74 An Introduction to the Bible 

Hannah, etc. — or they may be further introduced 
to the typical daily life of women and children in 
the agricultural sections of Palestine today. (See 
suggestions under previous lessons for books to be 
consulted.) 

A READING IN PARTS FROM THE BOOK OF RUTH 

Teacher (l 1 -^): And it came to pass in the days 
when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the 
land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to 
sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and 
his two sons. And the name of the man was Elime- 
lech, and the name of his wife Naomi; and the name of 
his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth- 
lehem-judah. And they came into the country of 
Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi's 
husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; 
the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the 
other Ruth; 'and they dwelt there about ten years. 
And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the 
woman was left of her two children and her husband. 

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she 
might return from the country of Moab; for she had 
heard in the country of Moab how that Jehovah had 
visited his people in giving them bread. And she went 
forth out of the place where she was, and her two 
daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way 
to return to the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto 
her two daughters-in-law, 

Naomi (18&-9a) : q 0j return each of you to her 
mother's house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye 



The Story of Ruth 75 

have dealt with the dead, and with me. Jehovah grant 
you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of 
her husband. 

Teacher (1 96 > 10a ): Then she kissed them; and they 
lifted up their voice and wept, and they said unto her, 

Ruth and Orpah (l 106 ): Nay, but we will return 
with thee unto thy people. 

Naomi (lUa,l2a) : Turn again, my daughters: why 
will ye go with me? Turn again, my daughters, go 
your way; 

Teacher (l u ): And they lifted up their voice and 
wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but 
Ruth clave unto her. 

Naomi (l 15 ): Behold, thy sister-in-law has gone 
back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou 
after thy sister-in-law. 

Ruth (1 16 > 1T J: Entreat me not to leave thee, and to 
return from following after thee; for whither thou 
goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge 
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God 
where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried 
Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death 
part thee and me. 

Teacher (122_2 2«): So Xaomi returned, and Ruth 
the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who re- 
turned out of the country of Moab: and they came to 
Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley harvest. 

And Xaomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a 
mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and 
his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said 
unto Naomi, 

Ruth (2 2b ) : Let me now go to the field, and glean 
among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I 
shall find favor. 



76 An Introduction to the Bible 

Naomi (2 2c ): Go, my daughter. 

Teacher (2 3 < 4a ): And she went, and came and 
gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was 
to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, 
who was in the family of Elimelech. And, behold, Boaz 
came from Bethlehem and said unto the reapers, 

Boaz (2 46 ): Jehovah be with you. 

Reapers (2 4c ): Jehovah bless thee. 

Boaz (2 56 ): Whose damsel is this? 

Reapers (2 66 ): It is the Moabitish damsel that came 
back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. 

Ruth (2 la ): Let me glean, I pray you, and gather 
after the reapers among the sheaves. 

Boaz (2 8 > 9 ): Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go 
not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, 
but abide here fast by my maidens. Let thine eyes be 
on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: 
have I not charged the young men that they shall not 
touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the 
vessels, and drink of that which the young men have 
drawn. 

Teacher (2 10a ): Then she fell on her face, and 
bowed herself to the ground and said unto him, 

Ruth (2 106 ): Why have I found favor in thy sight, 
that thou shouldst take knowledge of me, seeing I am 
a foreigner? 

Boaz (2 n > 12 ): It hath fully been showed me, all 
that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the 
death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy 
father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, 
and art come unto a people that thou knewest not here- 
tofore. Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full re- 
ward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, 
under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. 



The Story of Kuth 77 

Ruth (2 13 ): Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; 
for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast 
spoken kindly unto thine handmaid, though I be not 
as one of thy handmaidens. 

Teacher (2 14 M 5a ): And at meal time she sat beside 
the reapers: and they reached her parched grain, and 
she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. And 
when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his 
young men, 

Boaz (2 15 M 6 ): Let her glean among the sheaves, 
and reproach her not. And also pull out some for her 
from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and 
rebuke her not. 

Teacher (2 17 > 18 ): So she gleaned in the field until 
even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, 
and it was about an ephah of barley, and she took it up, 
and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw 
what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave 
to her that which she had left after she was sufficed. 

Naomi (2 19b ): Where hast thou gleaned today? 
and where hast thou wrought ? blessed be he that did 
take knowledge of thee. 

Ruth (2 19d ) The man's name with whom I wrought 
today is Boaz. 

Naomi (2 206 < c ): Blessed be he of Jehovah, who 
hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the 
dead. The man is nigh kin unto us, one of our near 
kinsmen. 

Ruth (2 21& >): Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt 
keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all 
my harvest. 

Naomi (2 226 ) : It is good, my daughter, that thou go 
out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in 
any other field. 



78 An Introduction to the Bible 

Teacher (2 23 ): So she kept fast by the maidens of 
Boaz, to glean until the end of barley harvest and of 
wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law. 

Teacher (4 13 - 17 ): And after many days Boaz took 
Kuth, and she became his wife; and she bare a son. And 
the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who 
hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; 
and let his name be famous in Israel. And he shall be 
unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine 
old age; for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who 
is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. And 
Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and 
became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors 
gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; 
and they called his name Obed: he is the father of 
Jesse, the father of David. 



LESSON XVI 

ELIJAH AND ELISHA, THE HERO-PROPHETS 

I. Aim.— 1. To introduce the books of Kings. 

2. To suggest the work of the prophet or preacher. 

3. To test the ability of the children to read in- 
dependently, and to tell stories so read. 

II. Material for Study. 

1 Kings, chap. 11—2 Kings, 1320. 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 295-364. 

Robertson Smith, Prophets of Israel, Lecture 2. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Glance through the books of Kings and no- 
tice that they consist of records of the lives of the 
successive kings of Israel and Judah, and that the 
story element is confined almost exclusively to the 
stories of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Note 
the formal way in which the beginning and the end 
of the reign of each king is stated, also the varying 
length of the accounts of their lives — sometimes 
a verse or two, sometimes a whole chapter or more. 

2. Throw yourself into the spirit of the wonder- 
stories of these two prophets, stories which gathered 
in current tradition about the names of these two 
famous men. 

3. Note carefully the religious conditions under 
which the contest of Elijah with the prophets of 

79 



80 An Introduction to the Bible 

Baal, recorded in chap. 18, took place. (See 
Kobertson Smith, Prophets of Israel.) Study 
the character of Elijah as that of a reformer. 

4. Make a list of all the remaining books of 
history and story in the Old Testament, as classi- 
fied under Lesson I. Refer to the books rec- 
ommended in that lesson for information con- 
cerning the character and contents of the books 
not already studied. 

Remark. — An examination paper is to be prepared for 
distribution. The questions should be duplicated on type- 
writer or mimeograph, so that they can be easily read, and 
space for the answer should be left after each question. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Call attention to the names of the books 
previously studied, and to the relation of the 
names to the contents; for instance Genesis, be- 
ginnings; Exodus, going out [of Egypt], etc. 
Let the children decide what a book called Kings 
would be likely to contain. 

2. Let the class now read aloud in concert 1 
Kings 15 1_3 , and, noting that several verses are 
passed over, read vss. 7, 8. Similarly, let them read 

15 9-11,23,24 ? then 15 25,26,31. Let them decide from 

these references, with your help, what the books 
contain. Call attention to the Chronicles referred 
to in these verses and explain the word "chronicles." 

3. Now let the children turn to 2 Chron. 
13 i,2,22 ? 14 i,2 5 and 16 n Explain the character 

of the books of Chronicles. 



Elijah and Elisha 81 

4. Call attention to the books Ezra, Nehe- 
miah and Esther as also books of history and 
story, from which we have not time to read. 
Let it be seen that we have now noticed all the 
books from Genesis to Job, except the books of 
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which will 
be studied later as books of law. 

5. Suggest that some persons, who lived dur- 
ing the period of the kings, were as famous as the 
kings themselves, and that the stories which were 
told about them were put right into the midst of 
the records of the kings, because the man who put 
the book together thought that they were just as 
important. Introduce the prophets Elijah and 
Elisha. Define the name "prophet," one who 
speaks for God. 

Have the children who were appointed last 
Sunday tell their stories in the following order: 

(1) Elijah and the ravens, 1 Kings 17 1_7 . 

(2) The cruse of oil, 1 Kings 17 8 " 16 . 

(3) The curing of the child, 1 Kings 17 17 " 24 . 

(4) Naaman the leper, 2 Kings 5 1_14 . 

6. Suggest that the prophets were not mere 
wonder-workers. They had hard tasks to perform, 
and many dangers to encounter for the sake of 
Jehovah their God. They were even killed in 
great numbers by the kings who did not serve 
Jehovah in the way that the prophets thought 
right. There were in the land many worshipers 



82 An Introduction to the Bible 

of other gods than Jehovah, especially of Baal, 
the god of the people who were. in the land before 
the Israelites came. Jehovah had not yet proved 
to all the people that he was the strongest God, 
and indeed the only God. Tell or read the last 
story to be presented from the Old Testament 
books of history and story, the story of Elijah and 
the prophets of Baal, keeping closely to the bibli- 
cal narrative, which is sufficiently vivid as it stands. 
7. Simply raise the question whether the com- 
mand of Elijah, "Choose ye this day whom ye will 
serve," has any significance to a child today, tak- 
ing care not to press discussion of the question 
unless the children seem to wish it. 

V. Written Work, — On a new page write First 
and Second Kings, and underneath (1) Stories of 
Elijah and Elisha; (2) Records of the Kings. 
On still another page write, Other books of history 
and story which I have not read, 1, 2 Chronicles, 
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Distribute examina- 
tion papers. Since this is the first examination, 
and the children are possibly not accustomed to 
written examinations, great care should be taken 
to explain the process of filling out the papers. 

VI. Home Work for the Children.— Fill out 
the examination paper (see p. 84). Learn to repeat 
the names of all the books from Genesis to Esther 
inclusive. 



Elijah and Elisha 83 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Give the chil- 
dren all the assistance necessary in the regular 
home work assigned. Review with them and help 
them to see that this work is as important as any 
day-school work. If there are several children, 
let them hold contests for first place in finding 
the stories, and the books. Let them fill out the 
examination paper for themselves, as far as they 
are able. 



WRITTEN- ANSWEE QUESTIONS 



Write name here 



Place after the name of each of the following stories 
the name of the book, and the chapter of the book 
where the story may be found: 

1. The Beginning of the World 

2. The Beginning of Sin 

3. The Boy Samuel 



4. The Exodus from Egypt 

5. David and Goliath 



6. The Deliverance of Isaac. 



7. Joseph Sold by His Brothers. 

8. Cain and Abel 



9. David Taking the Spear and Cruse of King 

Saul ; 

10. The Flood and the New Beginnings 



11. The Story of David's Great-Grandparents. 

12. Jacob Deceiving His Father . 



13. Gideon and His Three Hundred Warriors 

14. Deborah and Barak 



Which of these stories do you like best ? 



84 



LESSON XVII 

REVIEW OF OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS OF HISTORY 

AND STORY 

Suggestions of material for study in trie prepa- 
ration of this lesson are unnecessary. To many 
teachers the suggestion even of topics will seem 
superfluous. The best review is the one which 
seeks not so much to test the knowledge of the 
children as to give further drill upon weak points, 
and to help the child to see the work as a whole, 
whether it be a period of history or a division of 
a subject as in the present case. From the fol- 
lowing outline, therefore, select such parts for 
special emphasis as seem to be most needed by 
your own class. 

In conducting the review, a constant effort 
should be made to lead the children to think and 
to speak only the result of their thinking. To be 
of value, the review must be thoughtfully worked 
up with the class in mind, then made an exercise 
in thinking as well as remembering. Above all 
let the children feel that they are doing the work, 
and doing it as well as they are able. 

OUTLINE 
1. The Bible: 

a) Is it one book or many? 

b) What is the general classification of the books ? 

85 



86 An Introduction to the Bible 

c) For what general purpose have the books been 
preserved ? 

2. The books. (This should be confined to the books 
from Genesis to Esther.) 

a) Their names. 

b) Their contents. 

c) Their place in the Bible. 

3. The stories about — ■ 

a) Obedience or disobedience. 

b) War-heroes. 

c) Worship. 

d) Families. 

4. The teaching about — 

a) The law, commandments. 

b) The right qualities for strong men and women to 
possess. 

c) What God is like in character, strong, wise, 
hating the evil, loving the good, etc. 

Keep this strictly to the teachings which can 
legitimately be found in the stories already studied. 
Put as much variety as possible into the manner of 
questioning and the method of response called for. 

5. The following have been memorized: 

a) The commandments. 

b) 1 Sam. 15226. 

c) Psalm 1. 

d) Psalm 23. 

e) The books of The Old Testament from Genesis 
to Esther. 

Try to introduce at appropriate points the con- 
cert reoitation of memory work, until each selection 
has been given. 



LESSON XVIII 

THE CHILD JESUS 

I. Aim, — 1. To introduce the four gospels as 
books of History and Story. 2. To arouse new 
interest in Jesus, of whom the children already 
know something. 3. To present a group of sto- 
ries which are particularly attractive to children. 

II. Material for Study. 

John H-18; LuJceU—2*0; Matthew 21-23. 
Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, pp. 9-44. 

Seidel, In the Time of Jesus. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Consider the conditions in Palestine in the 
times into which Jesus was born, especially with 
reference to (a) the political dependency, (6) the 
dominating religious zeal, and (c) the long-deferred 
hope of a messianic deliverer who would free the 
nation from foreign power, and establish it as an 
independent and ideal theocracy, a kingdom whose 
real ruler should be Jehovah, and whose king — 
the Messiah— should be the representative of 
Jehovah. 

Recall the various classes of people in Pales- 
tine, and consider how each of these might regard 
the national ideal. 

87 



88 An Introduction to the Bible 

2. Note carefully such circumstances connected 
with the birth of Jesus as would seem, to the 
people acquainted with them, to indicate that he 
was the expected Messiah. 

3. Study the significance of the Jewish reli- 
gious institutions of which these stories furnish 
illustrations, e. g., betrothal, circumcision, presen- 
tation at the temple, purification, offerings, etc. 

4. Study carefully the story of the Wise Men 
(Matt. 2 1 " 23 ), as presenting examples of a class of 
men peculiar to eastern civilization ; also as illus- 
trating the spirit of the times in respect to meth- 
ods of dealing with possible dangers to the reign- 
ing dynasty. 

5. Read again and again the two stories, the 
Shepherds and the Angels (Luke 2 8 ~ 20 ), and the 
Visit of the Wise Men (Matt. 2 1 " 12 ), and try to 
realize them in definite mental pictures. Study 
all the pictures of the events which you can find.* 
From your own information in regard to the 
surroundings and the local color, gained from 
your reading of the stories and the outside mate- 
rial suggested, criticise the conceptions of the 
artists. Consult encyclopaedia, Bible dictionary, 
and other books available for information about 
Bethlehem. 

*A full collection of the Christ pictures made from the Perry 
pictures, the Brown collection, or other sources, will be valuable as 
collateral material in studying and presenting the life of Jesus. For 
addresses see Appendix. 



The Child Jesus 89 

6. Make yourself familiar with the distinctive 
characteristics of the several gospels. See para- 
graphs in Constructive Studies in the Life of 
Christ referred to under Section II. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Call attention to the first four books of the 
New Testament, and let the children tell what, in 
general, they are about. 

2. Select several children who have recently 
attended the same party, picnic, walk, or any occa- 
sion in which they are interested. Let each of 
these children tell the story of the occasion in the 
briefest way. It will appear at once, upon experi- 
ment, that each child tells quite a different story, 
one omitting many details included by others, yet 
each telling a true and practically complete story, 
from his own point of view. 

3. Try to lead the children to see and to ex- 
press the fact that Henry, or Mary, or Robert told 
the particular part or phase of the story which in- 
terested him and left out the rest, and that this 
was the reason for the difference in the stories, 
though all were true, and each especially good in 
its own way. 

4. Apply this principle to the gospels, and 
show how Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each 
wrote a book about the life of Jesus, but each 
recorded the events in the life of Jesus which par- 
ticularly interested him. Sometimes all would 



90 An Introduction to the Bible 

have the same story, sometimes two or three would 
have it, and sometimes only one. 

5. Recall again how stories of the child- 
hood of great people are always carefully pre- 
served. Give the children a background for the 
stories of the infancy of Jesus in a few words 
about (a) Palestine (children of the fourth or fifth 
grade should be able to use the map of Palestine 
in their Bibles, or to appreciate the use of a wall 
map) ; (6) the domination of Rome and of Herod, 
the reigning king ; (c) the expected Messiah ; (d) 
the town of Bethlehem; (e) Mary and Joseph 
coming to be enrolled ; (/) the shepherds ; (g) the 
crowded inn. y 

6. Let the children now follow, as you read 
from the Bible, Luke 2 8-20 . Let them discuss the 
following questions: "Why were the shepherds 
afraid? What did the message of the angels 
mean? Did the shepherds understand it? 

7. Now read with them Matthew's quite dif- 
ferent story about the Wise Men, Matt. 2 1 " 23 . (If 
the time is too short, omit this story and have it 
read at home.) 

8. Bring to the class as many different pictures 
of the infancy of Jesus as you can collect, and 
have them hung about the walls of the class-room. 
Let the children discuss the different pictures, se- 
lect their favorites, and ask questions about them. 
In using pictures, however, always remind the 



The Child Jesus 91 

children that they are not photographs of the 
actual people and events, but the ideas of dif- 
ferent artists who have tried to put into a picture 
their conception of the people and the events. 

V. Written Work. — At the top of successive 
blank pages write Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 
respectively, allowing two pages for Luke. Call 
attention to the fact that one of the stories read 
today is found in Luke, and one in Matthew. 
On the Luke page write The Angels and the 
Shepherds, and on the Matthew page, The Visit 
of the Wise Men. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Bead Luke 
li_2±o ; memorize Matt. 5 1 " 6 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — A study with 
the children of these special portions of the life 
of Jesus as depicted in art, will be a most inter- 
esting means of supplementing the home work of 
the next eight weeks. The Perry or the Brown 
pictures will supply more than one hundred sub- 
jects, representations both from the old masters, 
and modern artists, at one cent each. Secure a 
scrap-book and let the children construct, week 
by week, a picture life of Jesus. If they like to 
express themselves freely about the pictures, let 
them paste in blank pages upon which they can 
write their comments. Always compare the pic- 
tures with gospel accounts. 



92 An Intkoduction to the Bible 

Study for yourself the characteristics of the 
times, so that you can add to and explain the 
local color in the stories which the children read 
or which they see pictured. An excellent work 
upon the subject of Christ in art is Farrar, The 
Life of Christ as Represented in Art. 



LESSON XIX 

THE BOY JESUS 

I. Aim. — 1. To give reality to the boyhood of 
Jesus. 2. To establish a feeling of likeness or 
kinship between the boy Jesus and the children 
whom you are teaching. 

II. Material for Study. 
Luke 2 21-52. 

Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 

Life of Christ, pp. 35-37, 45-47. 

Edersheim, Jesus, the Messiah, chaps. 6, 7.* 
Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, chaps. 6, 

7,8. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Keeping in mind the aim of this lesson — 
to make the boyhood of Jesus real to the children 
— try to bring your own thought and imagination 
to bear upon the subject of Jesus as a boy. The 
stories of the birth of Jesus have so much of the 
miraculous element that it is difficult for the 
children to regard Jesus as a real boy, liking a 
boy's sports, doing a boy's work, subject to temp- 
tations like their own, living in a human family, 
and having human relations with brothers and 
sisters. Therefore the weight of emphasis should 

* References are to the abridged edition in one volume. 

93 



94 An Introduction to the Bible 

be laid upon the human surroundings and ele- 
ments in the story. 

2. Study (a) the home life of the times; (&) 
the education of the children, both as to method 
and material; (c) the attitude toward manual labor 
as a part of education; (d) the trades and other 
occupations of the time. 

3. Imagine for yourself legitimate situations 
in the child-life of Jesus when he would not be 
subject to sin, because he was strong enough in 
his moral nature to be above its enticements, and 
because his mind was occupied with thoughts and 
desires that left no room for sin. 

4. Kecall some of the leading ideas of the Old 
Testament Law and the Prophets, which were his 
text-books, and the interpreters of which were his 
teachers, e. g., the Messianic King, the Holy God, 
the Chosen People. Was he even in boyhood 
forming his conception of these things and his 
condemnation of the formal holiness, the narrow 
exclusiveness, and the political ambitions of his 
fellow-countrymen? Did he in boyhood conceive 
of himself as the promised Messiah ? Did he long 
to do the messianic work according to his ideal of 
it ? Can we answer these questions with certainty ? 
At all events, is it not best to present his life to 
the children as being what it certainly was, that 
of a noble boy, pure, good, honorable, earnest, who 
felt that God was his Father, and that he must 



The Boy Jesus 95 

live in accordance with the wishes of that Father, 
being ready to do whatever he might be appointed 
to do when he should become a man? 
IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Let each child think for a moment of his 
own home and of his brothers and sisters, and the 
life of a day in that home. Select one child, whom 
yon know personally, to tell very briefly the pro- 
gram of life in his home in a typical day. 

2. Now, in comparison, picture a day in the 
life of Jesns, selecting the time when he was about 
twelve years old, when he could assist his father 
in his work. Describe the home, the school. By 
bringing in the younger children, his brothers 
and sisters, show the study, the plays, the occupa- 
tions of children of different ages, and the con- 
sequent educational and disciplinary experience 
through which Jesus had already passed at the 
time of which we are speaking. 

3. Describe briefly the temple, and the custom 
of the rabbis to gather there and to engage in the 
public exposition of the Law, catechizing the by- 
standers and answering questions concerning it. 
Tell of the feasts and the customary pilgrimages 
to Jerusalem. 

4. Now let the children read with you Luke 
2 41 " 50 . Discuss with them the story. Why did 
Jesus wish to stay in the temple ? Why was he 
so interested in the doctors and their discussions ? 



96 An Introduction to the Bible 

The same "Law and the Prophets" is con- 
tained in our own Bible. Do we as boys and 
girls find it so interesting? Why not? Whom 
did Jesus mean by "my Father"? Is God oar 
Father also? The thought of the children in an- 
swer to these questions may be very crude and 
simple. Let it remain so, only modifying it where 
you can add simply, or correct easily. Remember 
that the main thing is to make the children real- 
ize the story, and to think of Jesus as a real boy. 
It will be an easy step to lead them from the real 
boy to the real man. 

V. Written Work. — Under a title which the chil- 
dren may choose, add the story to the Luke page. 
Let them search in the early chapters of Matthew, 
Mark, and John to see if this story is told by any 
other of the writers. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Luke 
2i_3 2 3; Matt. 2 1 - 23 . Memorize Matt. 5 7 " 12 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue the 
study of the pictures, and tell the children as 
much as possible about the home life of the chil- 
dren in Palestine. Especially collect information 
about Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. 
Take the children for imaginary walks in Nazareth. 
Describe the people whom you might meet, and 
the sights which you might see. Do everything 
that you can to make the situation real. It is a 



The Boy Jesus 97 

fact that many children associate all the events 
and places mentioned in the Bible with heaven, 
having no conception of them as places upon the 
earth which are accessible today. It is partly 
this unreality of environment that makes the life 
of Jesus unreal and ineffectual in reaching the 
hearts of the children and becoming a formative 
influence in their lives. If you can arrange to 
have them meet some person who has actually 
visited Palestine, you will be especially fortunate. 



LESSON XX 

STORIES OF THE DISCIPLES 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the great mission 
of the life of Jesus. 2. To present him in the 
midst of his daily companions. 3. To suggest 
the idea of discipleship and the qualities which it 
demands. 

II. Material for Study. 
John 135-51. 

Luke 51-11 (c/. Mark 116-20; Matthew 418-22). 

Luke 612-19 ( C /. Mark 313-I9a ; Matthew 102-4). 

Luke 527-32 ( C /. Mark 213-17; Matthew 9 9-13). 

Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, pp. 54, 60, 63, 83, 84, 88, 98. 

Rdersheim, Jesus the Messiah, chaps. 12, 22, 26. 
(Edersheim should be read continuously, if possible.) 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Very young children are able to grasp the 
idea of a life with a purpose. Most children edu- 
cated in a Christian community have the idea that 
the purpose of Jesus' life was to die for the sins 
of the world. The idea that he lived to save the 
world, and to teach men how to live rightly, has 
not been adequately presented to them. Yet it is 
to them the more comprehensible of the two, and 
has in it greater power to inspire to noble action. 
It seems best, therefore, to commence the series of 

98 



Stories of the Disciples 99 

lessons dealing with the events of Jesus' life after 
he has reached manhood, by giving a distinct im- 
pression of the fact that Jesus was devoting his 
life to teaching the world about God, his Father, 
and the way in which men should live in order to 
please God and to become like him. Since it was 
impossible to teach the whole world at once, it 
was necessary to choose a certain few who should 
be especially trained to teach others, and so to 
spread the truth farther and faster than was pos- 
sible to one man. 

The stories connected with the calling of the 
disciples will interest the children, and will 
impress upon them the importance of the mission 
of Jesus, which could better be performed if there 
were others to share it with him. 

2. Make from Luke 6 12 " 16 , and parallel pas- 
sages in Mark and Matthew, a list of the twelve 
apostles. Then familiarize yourself with the 
story of the call of each, if there is such a story. 
(See references under "Material for Study.") 

3. Note especially any particulars about each 
man which would throw light upon his character, 
or upon the reason for the choice. Search through 
the gospels for references which would help. Ask 
yourself: Did the disciples represent a variety of 
classes of society ? If so, could they therefore be 
expected to reach a variety of classes? What 
about Judas? (See Edersheim, Jesus the Mes- 
siah, chap. 78.) 



100 An Introduction to the Bible 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Draw from the children a statement of the 
great purpose of the life of Abraham Lincoln, to 
free the slaves; of Booker T. Washington, to 
educate the negro; of George Washington, to 
make America a free and independent country; 
and other examples of men who lived or are living 
for a great purpose. 

2. Recall to the children the expectation of the 
Jews of Jesus' time concerning a messianic King. 
Let them think once more of Jesus in the temple, 
of his conception of God as his Father, and of 
the very different idea of God held by the people 
— e. g., a lawgiver, a judge — and raise the ques- 
tion whether Jesus would think it worth while to 
give his whole life to teaching people what he 
knew about God— that God had for all people as 
well as for himself a Father's love. Now tell the 
children how into Jesus' life, as he grew up, 
seeing in the lives of all about him, even the 
most religious people, that they did not under- 
stand God, there came this great purpose, to teach 
the world the truth about his Father, God. He 
could do this in two ways : by living so that people 
would say in their hearts, "That must be like 
God;" and by teaching in words what God was 
like. If possible, lead the children to work out 
these two thoughts for themselves. 

3. Raise the question whether, since Jesus 






Stories of the Disciples 101 

himself could see comparatively few people, and 
must sometime die and leave his work, there was 
any way in which he could add to the number 
who might be reached by his teaching, and also 
insure the continuance of his work after he should 
leave it. Someone will suggest the idea of helpers. 
Explain the words "disciple," and "apostle." 

4. Read the story in Luke 5 1 " 11 , the call of the 
four fishermen. Add an account of the manner 
in which another one was added to the number of 
the disciples as related in Luke 5 27 " 32 . 

5. Let the children read with you the names 
of the apostles as given in Matt. 10 2 " 4 . Write the 
list in simple form upon the blackboard. Let the 
children pick out the names of the fishermen. 
See how much they know about Judas, the traitor 
in the group, but do not let them dwell upon that 
feature at this time. 

6. Return to the main point, the purpose for 
which these men were chosen. Raise the ques- 
tion whether Jesus especially chooses men today 
to do his work. Can anyone be chosen? What 
might be some of the conditions? Do people 
whom Jesus chooses in these days sometimes be- 
come traitors to him ? 

V. Written Work, — Upon the Luke page write 
The Calling of the Four Disciples. Let the chil- 
dren turn to Matthew, chap. 4, and Mark, chap. 1, 
and note that here also the same story is related 



102 An Introduction to the Bible 

more briefly. It may therefore be added to the 
pages of Matthew and Mark. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Luke 
41-13. §22-25. Matt io 1 "* 5 . Memorize the names 
of the apostles from Matt. 10 2 " 4 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue the 
picture work. Tell the children stories which 
may be found in the gospels and The Acts, chaps. 
1-12, about Peter, John, and other of the apostles, 
so deepening the impression of the individuality 
of the different men. 



LESSON XXI 



STORIES OF HEALING 

I. Aim. — 1. To discover further examples of 
the same story in different gospels. 2. To pre- 
sent Jesus as a healer of physical and spiritual 
disease. 3. To teach that, of the two, the illness 
of the soul caused by sin is the worse evil. 

II. Material for Study. 

Matthew 814-17; Mark 1 21-34 ; Luke^-a 



91-8 



21-12 



5rM 













John, chap 


a 


129-14 


a 


31-6 


it 


66-u 


a 


85-13 






a 


71-10 


a 


828-34 


a 


51-20 


a 


826-39 


a 


9 27-34 










u 


1521-28 


a 
a 


724-30 
8 22-26 






a 


1714-20 


u 


9 14-29 


a 

a 
a 


937-43a 

" chap 

1310-21 

17 n-19 


a 


2029-34 


a 


1046-50 


a 


18 35-43 



Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, sections bearing upon the above passages. 

Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah ; select by means of the 
index the appropriate material. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 
1. Read carefully all the stories of healing, 
and the comments upon them. The references 

103 



104 An Introduction to the Bible 

given under "Material for Study" present a practi- 
cally complete list of the healing acts of Jesus. 

2. Note that the majority of the miracles of 
healing were performed in Galilee rather than in 
Judea. Study the reasons for this as suggested in 
the reference reading. 

3. Note that the act of healing was variously 
performed: (a) in the absence of the patient; (6) 
with the spoken word only; (c) with a visible act 
accompanying the word. 

4. Notice especially those cures which seem to 
include spiritual as well as physical healing. How 
much do they indicate as to the relation between 
physical and mental disease? Study all the com- 
ments upon the stories of demoniacal possession. 
See especially Burton and Mathews, Constructive 
Studies, p. 84. 

5. Study with special care the background and 
all the details of the story of the paralytic, Mark 
2 1 " 12 ; Luke 5 17 " 26 ; Matt. 9 1 " 8 , and the story of the 
man at the Pool of Bethesda, John, chap. 5. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Talk with the children about physicians and 
their methods of healing — medicine, surgery, me- 
dicinal springs, etc. 

2. Recall to the children the mission of Jesus, 
to teach the world about God both by his words 
and by his life. Remind them that Jesus must 
have known a great deal about God ; that he had, 



Stokies of Healing 105 

indeed, before this been shown that he was the 
beloved Son of God and his representative in the 
world. (See the story of the baptism of Jesus.) 
Because Jesus was the beloved Son of God and 
lived so close to God his Father he shared in the 
power of God and could heal disease, and com- 
mand the evil spirits, and even the winds, and 
they would obey him. 

3. Give the background for the story of the 
paralytic. Describe the house, the crowd, the 
teacher and healer in the midst. Read the story, 
Mark 2 1-12 . Raise the question as to why Jesus 
forgave the man his sin first. Discuss in the sim- 
plest way the relative importance of bodily illness 
and moral illness or sin. 

4. Tell now the story of the man at the Pool 
of Bethesda in John, chap. 5. Read afterward 
vss. 10-18, and let the children consider whether 
Jesus broke the sabbath by healing the man. Is 
it better to be idle or to do good on the sabbath ? 

5. Did Jesus teach the people who saw these 
two miracles (a) about the need of the forgiveness 
of sin ; (b) what he regarded as proper work for the 
sabbath? Were the people likely to believe these 
things ? Talk the matter over informally. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Mark page 
The Healing of the Paralytic. Call attention to 
the fact that the story is told also in Matthew and 
Luke, and add it to those pages. Add to the 



106 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

John page The Man at the Pool of Bethesda, and 
let it be noted that only John tells this story. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Divide the 
class into three sections. Assign the gospels of 
Matthew, Mark, and Luke to the respective sec- 
tions. Ask each group to search through the 
gospel assigned, to see who can find the most 
stories of healing. A written list of the stories, 
by name, with chapter and verse reference, should 
be brought in on the following Sunday. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture study. Assist the children in doing 
the work assigned above. Have them read, or 
read to them, as many of the stories of healing as 
possible (for list of selections see Section II, above), 
so that they may get some impression of the great 
number and variety of the healing acts of Jesus. 



LESSON XXII 

THE STOKY OF THE PEODIGAL SON 

I. Aim. — 1. To emphasize further the mission 
of Jesus, namely, to teach about God. 2. To 
draw attention to Jesus' method of teaching by 
story. 3. To emphasize the teaching of this story, 
the love of the earthly father as a type of the love 
of God. 

II. Material for Study. 

Luke, chap. 15. 

Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, pp. 177, 178. 

Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, pp. 385-92. 

Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, chaps. 
13-15. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. It will be well if, previous to the presenta- 
tion of this lesson, all the material in Edersheim 
preceding the period in which this story is told, 
has been read. 

2. Study carefully the conceptions of the 
Pharisees concerning the relation of God to men; 
their idea of exclusive proprietorship in him and 
of his abhorrence of those who were not religious 
according to pharisaic ideals; the self-righteous- 
ness and the formal, mechanical nature of their 
religious life. 

107 



108 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Recall the growing hostility of the Phari- 
sees and their determination to prevent the spread 
of such views as those presented by Jesus. 

4. Study the stories of the lost sheep, the lost 
coin, and the lost son, from the point of view of 
(a) the skilful method of the teacher ; (p) his fear- 
lessness in presenting such a doctrine under the 
circumstances; (c) his fidelity to his great pur- 
pose — to reveal the loving nature of God; (d) the 
effect which this teaching would have upon the 
different classes of hearers — the Pharisees, the 
less strict Jews, the non-Jews; (e) the truth of 
the stories as representations of the facts of human 
life. Does this suggest that Jesus was an acute 
observer of the life about him ? Is it not a special 
reason why we should study carefully the times 
in which he lived in order that we may appreciate 
the added force given by the local color ? 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Ask one of the children with whose family 
you are acquainted, if his father loves him. Let 
him prove it to you. Question him until he tells 
you a story of some act which seems to prove the 
truth of his statement. Call attention to the fact 
that he has told a story in order to teach you what 
his father was like. 

2. Recall again to the children the great mis- 
sion of Jesus — to teach the world what God was 
like; and suggest that one of the methods by 



The Prodigal Son 109 

which he taught was just the one employed by 
the child, namely, to tell a story to prove what he 
taught, or to make it clearer. 

3. Suggest now the situation: the strict Phari- 
sees teaching the exclusive regard of God for 
certain people ; the thousands of people, not Phari- 
sees, whom these very religious people considered 
of little or no interest to God. 

4. Read the story of the Prodigal Son from 
Luke, chap. 15. If the children are able to think 
so deeply for themselves, try to draw from them 
the main points of the analogy: the father repre- 
senting God's love to men; the spendthrift son 
who had squandered the gifts of his father and 
gone away being like the foolish and wicked people 
who take God's gifts, but do not wish to keep God 
in their lives ; and the elder brother setting forth 
the selfishness and self-righteousness of the Phari- 
sees. 

Raise the questions : Could the father help the 
son when he stayed far away ? Whose fault was 
it that the son was so poor and miserable ? What 
made him return to his father? Did the father 
love him all the time ? Let the teaching be trans- 
ferred to the present day. Does God love all of 
us all the time ? Do your parents love you even 
when you are bad? Do they love you in the same 
way when you are bad as when you are good? 
Whose fault is it if God's children are not happy 



110 An Introduction to the Bible 

in his love? What must those who have been 
staying far away from God in their lives do to 
secure the benefits of his love ? 

Let the answers to these questions remain 
simple, and such as the children think out for 
themselves. Make your comments upon the main 
theme, the power of Jesus to teach about God. 
Close with the questions : Did Jesus teach a good 
lesson? Did he teach it well? What do you 
suppose the Pharisees thought about it ? Did they 
think that God had a Father's love for all men? 
Did they think that God would love a bad man 
who wanted to be good? 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Luke page 
The Prodigal Son. Explain carefully the word 
"prodigal" before letting the children write it. 
Call attention to the fact that only Luke tells this 
story. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Head Luke, 
chap. 15 ; 19 n ' 28 ; Mark 4 i" 20 . Review the stories 
already read. Memorize Matt. 5 13 ~ 16 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture work. Read as many as possible of 
the parables or teaching stories to the children, 
omitting the story of the Good Samaritan which 
will form the material of the next lesson. For a 
list of these stories see Lesson XXIII, Section II. 



LESSON XXIII 

THE STOKY OF THE GOOD SAMAEITAN 

I. Aim. — -1. To continue a study of the teach- 
ing stories. 2. To present Jesus' conception of 
the neighborly spirit. 

II. Material for Study. 

Matthew 13 1-53; Mark 41-34; Luke 8 4-18 

« 18 21-35 

" 10 25-37 

" chap. 12 

" 13 1-9 

" chap. 11 

" chap. 15 

" chap. 16 

" 18 1-14 
« 20 1-15 

" 1911-28 

« 2128—2214 " 121-12 " 209-19 
" 25 1-30 
Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, sections corresponding to the material 
above. 

Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, select material by 
means of the index. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Make a rapid survey of all the parables or 
teaching stories, as indicated above, and try to 
formulate for yourself some characteristics of 
Jesus' use of the story in teaching. Were the 
stories vivid, appropriate, elaborate or terse, true 
to physical or human nature, comprehensible to 

111 



112 An Introduction to the Bible 

his hearers ? Did they skilfully convey the truth 
which Jesus desired to present? Are these char- 
acteristics such as are always required in the use 
of the story for teaching purposes ? 

2. Recalling again the exclusive spirit of the 
religious parties of the Jews, study also the rela- 
tionship between the Jews and the Samaritans. 

3. Recall the Old Testament statement of the 
law of love, in Deut. 6 5 . 

4. Study the story of the Good Samaritan, 
noting especially the occasion for the story, the 
skill displayed (a) in gaining the consent of the 
questioner to certain premises ; (6) in the selection 
of the despised Samaritan as the ideal neighbor, 
thus necessitating the acknowledgment of the 
neighborly spirit in an extreme instance. Note 
the effect in the self -conviction of the questioner. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall, through questioning the children, 
the idea of the teaching story, and Jesus' use of 
it, as presented last week. 

2. Let different children who have done the 
home work for the week tell the stories of the 
Prodigal Son, the Pounds, the Sower. Discuss 
the stories simply, letting the children express 
themselves as to the interest of the stories, their 
truth to life, their probable effectiveness, etc. 

3. Tell of the questioning lawyer and his de- 
sire to entrap Jesus with hard questions. 



The Good Samaritan 113 

4. Let the children open their Bibles at Luke 
10 23 ~ 37 and notice the following words, "Samari- 
tan," "Jericho/' "Levite." Give a sketch of the 
attitude of the Jews toward the Samaritans, and 
the reasons for this attitude. Describe the road 
to Jericho, infested to this day with robbers; the 
method of travel; explain the word "Levite." 
Try to give, as far as possible, all the facts which, 
being known to Jesus' hearers, would make the 
story which he told more effective. Then read 
the story with the children. 

5. Try to induce the children to express for 
themselves the thought that it is need which de- 
cides the question who is my neighbor, need of 
help, sympathy, affection. 

6. Let all together repeat the commandment, 
"Thou shalt love," etc., Matt. 22 37 " 39 . 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Luke page 
The Good Samaritan. Note that the story is 
found only in this gospel. 

VI. Home Work for the Children- — Eead Luke 
10 25-37. Mark iQis-16; Matt. 20 i" 16 . Memorize 
Matt. 6 5 ~ 15 . Two weeks will be allowed for the 
memory work. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture work, and review as many of the sto- 
ries of the life of Jesus as possible. 



LESSON XXIV 

JESUS AND HIS FRIENDS 

I. Aim. — 1. To deepen the impression of Jesus 
as a real, living person by introducing him among 
his personal friends. 2. To suggest Jesus' concep- 
tion of death. 

II. Material for Study. 

Luke 10 38-42; John 11 1-54. 

Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ, pp. 180, 201-3. 

Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, pp. 306-9, 432-36. 
Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, chap. 10. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Study the occasion of the visit of Jesus to 
Mary and Martha, possibly a feast in Jerusalem, 
but perhaps not the Feast of the Tabernacles, as 
stated by Edersheim. 

2. Picture to yourself, by means of the reading 
which you have done, the home of Mary and 
Martha, and the efforts put forth to entertain the 
beloved friend and teacher. 

3. Consider the differences in character of the 
two sisters, Martha striving to show her affection by 
furnishing elaborate entertainment for her guest, 
Mary showing her love by listening to the teach- 
ing which Jesus was giving his life to promulgate. 

4. In order to gain a new conception of the 

background for the story of the raising of Lazarus, 

114 



Jesus and His Friends 115 

read carefully all that pertains to death and burial 
in the references under "Material for Study." 

5. Consider the great risk which Jesus was tak- 
ing upon himself in going to Bethany at this time. 
Study his attitude toward the coming danger. 

6. Note that here, as always, he never loses 
sight of his mission — to teach; and finds oppor- 
tunity to add to the faith in his power which the 
sisters already possess, the teaching that there is 
a life that is eternal, and that death is only a sleep 
from which those who love God awake to a more 
glorious life. See vss. 11, 25, 26. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Talk with the children informally about the 
best way of entertaining one's visitors. Should 
we try to do what we think they ought to like, or 
what we like ourselves, or what we know that they 
would like best of all ? 

2. Tell of the visit of Jesus to Lazarus and 
Mary and Martha. Describe the house and the 
efforts of Martha properly to entertain her guest. 
Recall the mission of Jesus to teach, and let the 
children decide whether Jesus would rather have 
a fine dinner, or someone to listen to his teaching 
and to believe in it. Then tell them of Mary and 
her anxiety to lose no word that fell from the lips 
of Jesus. Let the children decide which sort of 
attention Jesus would prefer, and let them read 
what he said about it, Luke 10 21 ' 42 . 



116 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Introduce the story of the raising of Laza- 
rus by telling of Jesus going away into another 
part of the country to teach, and Lazarus the 
brother of Mary and Martha, and the friend of 
Jesus falling sick, and dying. 

4. Read as impressively as possible John ll 1 " 46 . 

5. Reread what Jesus says about death, and 
about the eternal life, vss. 25, 26. Let the chil- 
dren talk about it a little, and then read with 
you the verses. 

6. Revert to the thought of the joy of the 
brother, and the sisters, and the great love for 
Jesus which must have filled their hearts. What 
friends they must have been to him afterwards! 
Jesus needed friends. His enemies were every 
day increasing, and his friends were few in com- 
parison. Call for the names of some of his friends, 
the apostles. 

V. Written Work. — Add to the Luke page 
The Visit to Mary and Martha and to the John 
page The Raising of Lazarus. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Luke 
10 s 8 " 42 ; John 11 146 ; ll 47 — 12 11 . Continue with 
the memory work of last week. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture work. Read to the children other 
stories of Jesus raising persons from the dead, 
Luke 7 11 " 17 ; Mark 5 21 " 43 . 



LESSON XXV 

JESUS AND HIS ENEMIES 

I. Aim. — 1. To emphasize the courage, the 
faithfulness, the patience of Jesus under the per- 
secutions of his enemies. 2. To introduce in a 
logical, historical way the lesson next in order, 
the crucifixion of Jesus. 

II. Material for Study. 

John 51-18; ZMfce 61-5, 6-H; Matthew 927-34 ; Markll-M 
John, chap. 8; 101-42; Luke 1137-54; John 1147-57; 121-H 
Luke 1945-48; Matthew 2617-30; Mark 1412-26; L w fc e 227-30 
Jbftra 131-30. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Read and think until you have in your own 
mind a fairly vivid conception of the spirit of 
Pharisaism, the regard for outward holiness, as it 
manifested itself in the time of Jesus. 

2. Make a list of some of the pharisaic customs 
with which Jesus came into active antagonism; 
e. g., ostentatious prayer, a too formal sabbath- 
keeping, a regard for form rather than spirit as 
manifested in regulations concerning fasting, 
hand-washing, giving of alms, etc. 

3. Recall the exclusiveness of the Pharisees, 
their bigotry, their refusal to recognize good out- 
side their own sect, their overbearing dogmatism. 

117 



118 An Introduction to the Bible 

Contrast with this the teaching of Jesus, Matt., 
chaps. 5, 6, 7, and elsewhere. 

4. Raise with yourself the questions: (a) Was 
not this open conflict between Jesus and the 
Pharisees inevitable? (6) Must not Jesus have 
known, long before the e;nd of his ministry, that 
his death at the instigation of these people was 
the only possible outcome? (c) Did he not use 
great tact in order that his death might not come 
before his work was sufficiently accomplished ? 

5. Make for yourself a mental, or if you prefer, 
a written, summary of the elements of character 
displayed by Jesus in his relations with the 
Pharisees. 

6. Note that his betrayer was counted among 
his friends, and had daily listened to his teachings. 
Consider the bearings of the fact that a man 
could be daily with Jesus and yet remain so 
unimpressed by his teachings and the spiritual 
power of his life, as to allow the wish to betray 
his master to enter his heart and to take hold 
upon him. Would that be possible today, and 
in our land, in the case of one listening to 
the teaching of Jesus? Was it partially due 
in Judas's case to the fact that the ideals of 
Jesus, both as expressed in his life and in his 
teachings, were so far beyond those of his times 
that he could be understood only in part and by 
a few persons ? 



Jesus and His Enemies 119 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall to the children what, has been said 
in regard to the religious ideas of the Pharisees, 
and in what, according to their notion, holiness 
consisted. Describe some of the many regula- 
tions concerning fasting, washing, prayer, dress, 
alms, keeping the sabbath. 

2. Compare the teaching of Jesus upon one of 
these subjects, that of prayer, and call for the 
concert recitation of the memory verses, Matt. 
6 5 " 15 , reading with the children as they recite. 
Would Jesus be afraid to reprove the Pharisees? 
They were very powerful, and had it in their 
power to bring about his death if they wished. 
Read selections from Matt., chap. 23. 

3. Recall also the cures performed on the sab- 
bath, e. g., the man at the Pool of Bethesda, and 
the man with the withered hand. Read the verses 
in these stories which relate to the displeasure of 
the Pharisees, John 5 15 " 18 ; Luke 6 6 " 11 . 

4. Selecting from the biblical passages under 
" Material for Study," partly read and partly tell 
a number of incidents which show how the feel- 
ing of hatred grew until the raising of Lazarus. 
Read John ll 47 " 54 , and note that the Pharisees 
would have taken Jesus before, had they not been 
afraid of rousing in his defense the people who 
followed him. Raise the following questions: 
If Jesus could raise the dead, why could he not 



120 An Intkoduction to the Bible 

kill his enemies by a word? Why did he not do 
so ? Bead Matt. 5 43 " 48 . How could he have taught 
the people living then and now, that the sons of 
God must love their enemies, if he had hated and 
killed his enemies ? 

5. Tell the story of the Last Supper, from 
which Judas went out to betray Jesus. 

V. Written Work. — On each gospel page write 
The Last Supper. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Review 
all the stories about Jesus which have been read 
or studied. Memorize Matt. 5 43 " 48 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture work. Help the children in finding 
and reading the stories in review. 



LESSON XXVI 

THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS 

I. Aim. — 1. To deepen the impression of the 
purposeful life of Jesus. 2. To lead the children 
to think upon the question whether or not Jesus 
accomplished his mission. 

II. Material for Study. 

Matthew 26 31—27 66; Mark 14 27—15 47; Luke 223l_ 
23 56; Jo/m 13 31— 19 42. 

Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the 
Life of Christ; all the material relating to the last days of 
Jesus. 

Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah; select appropriate 
chapters. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

Read and think upon the passages indicated 
under " Material for Study," and recall preceding 
lessons in review. Ask yourself the question sug- 
gested under the "Aim" of the lesson, and answer 
it in detail. 

IV* Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Spend one-half of the time in reading or 
telling the stories from the life of Jesus for which 
any or all of the children call. Let each of the 
stories be found by some member of the class. 

2. Bring before the class in a half-dozen sen- 
tences the view of the rise of Jesus to popularity 

121 



122 An Introduction to the Bible 

and the growing hatred of his enemies, and recall 
the story of the Last Supper and the going out of 
Judas. 

3. Read as impressively as possible, and in the 
order given, John 18 1_24 ; Mark 14 53 " 72 ; John 
18 28 " 38 ; Luke 23 4 " 16 ; John 19 ^ Luke 23 s5 - 38 ; 
John 19 25 " 42 ; Matt. 27 ^ 

4. Jesus was dead. What was the great pur- 
pose of his life ? Did he accomplish that pur- 
pose ? Ask the children to bring written answers, 
with a reason for the answer, next Sunday. This 
is a large question for the children to think upon. 
It is therefore wiser to leave a discussion of how 
the death of Jesus contributed to the accomplish- 
ment of this purpose to the next lesson. 

V. Written Work. — Call attention to the fact 
that all the writers tell of the death of Jesus, and 
on each of the gospel pages write The Crucifixion 
of Jesus. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read John, 
chaps. 20, 21; Luke 24 44 " 53 . Memorize John 3 16 . 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the picture work, reviewing and talking about the 
life of Jesus with the pictures before you. Read 
with the children the resurrection stories, and 
discuss them. They will be presented in class by 
the children in connection with the next lesson. 



LESSON XXVII 

peter's sermon concerning the risen jesus 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the book of The 
Acts. 2. To add to the story of Jesus' death the 
fact of his resurrection. 3. To raise the question 
whether even children may not, as friends of 
Jesus, help to carry on his work. 

II. Material for Study. 

The book of The Acts. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Read the passages assigned for the chil- 
dren's home reading in connection with the last 
lesson, and the first twelve chapters of the book 
of The Acts, or if possible the whole book, and 
consider the great enthusiasm and activity of the 
apostles, in carrying out the instruction of Jesus 
concerning preaching, and teaching, and doing 
good in his name. 

2. Read again references to Peter in the gos- 
pels: John l 35 " 42 ; Matt. 14 22 " 33 ; Luke 9 18 " 20 < 28 ~ 36 ; 
Mark 14 32 ' 42 ; John 18 ^j Mark 14 53,54,66-72. 
John 20 i" 10 ; 21 !- 23 . 

3. Recall from the incidents recorded in The 
Acts, chaps. 1-12, those which throw special light 
upon the character and acts of Peter. 

123 



124 An Introduction to the Bible 

4. Notice that the great theme of the early 
preaching of the apostles was, "Believe that Jesus 
is the Christ." Get clearly before the mind the 
great change that came into the lives of the 
apostles through Jesus' death and resurrection, 
and the importance of the new situation which 
they faced. No longer guided by him in bodily 
presence, but confident that he had risen, and still 
lived, they had to justify their own faith in him, 
and were confronted with the task of winning 
others to allegiance to him and obedience to his 
teaching. To accomplish this they must persuade 
men that he was the Christ, and in order to do 
this they must convince them that he had risen 
from the dead. Thus it came about that the em- 
phasis which Jesus laid upon the character of God 
was transferred in the teaching of the apostles, for 
a time, to the death and resurrection of Jesus, as 
fulfilling the divine purpose, andr proving that he 
was the Christ. A little later the thought of 
Jesus' death as proving his own and God's love 
for the world was emphasized (Gal. 2 20 ; Rom. 
5 5 " 11 ; John 3 16 ). This latter thought is so much 
easier for the child to grasp that it will be well to 
make it at least as prominent in your teaching as 
that upon which the apostles were led by their 
circumstances to lay so strong emphasis for a time. 

5. Note that an examination paper is to be pre- 
pared for distribution (see instructions concerning 
former examination papers). 



Peter's Sermon concerning Jesus 125 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. After collecting the answers to the question 
assigned last Sunday, take up the discussion of it 
in the simplest way. Use the answers of the chil- 
dren as a basis, reading any which will suggest 
the idea that in dying at the hands of his enemies 
Jesus was saying by his act what he had long ago 
said in words. Let the class repeat the memory 
verse for the week (John 3 16 ). 

2. Recall to the children that although at the 
close of our last story Jesus lay in the tomb, there 
are other stories that follow the story of the death 
and burial of Jesus. Ask two or three of the chil- 
dren to tell you the stories read during the week 
concerning the events of the days immediately 
following the crucifixion of Jesus. 

3. Was Jesus then to work no more in the 
world ? Call attention to Matt. 28 20 , the promise 
of Jesus to be with his disciples. Let the children 
name some of the disciples of Jesus with whom he 
was to carry on his work after he should die. Let 
them tell all that they can remember about Peter. 
Introduce the new book called The Acts, and raise 
the question as to whose acts would be of suffi- 
cient interest to put into a book, after the story of 
Jesus had been told. Call attention to the title, 
The Acts of the Apostles, or as the American 
Revised Version has it, following the oldest form 
of the title, The Acts. 



126 An Introduction to the Bible 

4. Raise a question as to what sort of things 
Peter, for instance, would be likely to do in carry- 
ing on the work of Jesus. Would he try to do 
such things as Jesus did — cure people, or teach 
them perhaps ? Let the class read with you Acts 
3 1_1 °, and consider what effect such an act would 
have upon the people who saw it. Would it 
attract a crowd ? Would it afford a good oppor- 
tunity for Peter to teach the people ? What 
would he be likely to teach them ? Let the chil- 
dren follow as you read vss. 11-21 with slight 
simplifications. Let them tell you, if they can, 
what Peter was trying to teach. If he could 
only get everyone to believe that Jesus was the 
Christ whom they had been expecting, the Son of 
God, then would they not believe all that Jesus 
had said about God, and how men should live in 
order to become like God ? Was Peter then trying 
to prove to the people that Jesus was the Christ ? 
Was he successful ? Call attention to the fact 
that Peter and John suffered many persecutions 
at the hands of the people whom they were trying 
to teach. But, on the other hand, ask the chil- 
dren to shut their eyes and count the churches of 
which they know, and then to multiply them by 
thousands; let them imagine a time when there 
were no churches, made up of a people who be- 
lieved that Jesus was the Christ ; that is, the time 
when Peter lived. Where did all the churches 



Peter's Sermon concerning Jesus 127 

come from ? And why did they come ? Was it 
not on account of the preaching of Peter and of 
those who followed him ? Was he, then, success- 
ful, in teaching that Jesus was the Christ? 

5. Raise the question as to who may be friends 
of Jesus in these days. Is it only grown people 
in the church ? Why not the children in the 
Sunday school ? Does everybody in the world 
today know that Jesus was the Christ, the Savior 
of the world ? If not, how can the children, his 
friends, tell those in our own country and in for- 
eign countries about him ? Suggest here, in such 
way as you think best, the missionary work of the 
church, bringing children to the Sunday school, 
and any similar matter which seems appropriate 
and practical. 

V. Written Work. — On a new page write The 
Acts and under that Stories of the Work of the 
Disciples. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Acts, 
chap. 5. Fill out the examination paper. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Read with the 
children further stories in The Acts, of which 
there are many of great interest, and assist in fill- 
ing in the examination paper. 



WRITTEN-ANSWER QUESTIONS 

1. Name the four men who wrote about the life of 

Jesus : 

2. Where was Jesus born ? Where did he live as a 

boy? 

3. Where did Jesus go when he was twelve years 

old? _. 

4. Name some of Jesus' friends ? 



5. Who were the people who most disliked the teach- 
ing of Jesus ? 

6. Write the name of one story of Jesus healing the 

sick ? 

7. What friend did Jesus raise from the dead ? 



8. What great fact about God did Jesus give his life 
to teach ? 

9. In what manner did Jesus die ? 



10. Which of Jesus' friends was the first after his 
death and resurrection to preach to the people 

that Jesus was the Christ ? 



11. Write here some saying of Jesus which you like to 

remember 

12. Do you like better the story-books of the Old 
Testament or those of the New Testament ? Why? 



128 



PART II 

Books of Sermons 
Books of Poetry and Song 
Books of Law 
Books of Letters 
Books of Vision 



129 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 

To present the books of the prophets or 
preachers of the Old Testament to young children 
in an attractive and comprehensible form is a diffi- 
cult task, but by no means an impossible one. It 
is true that one can hardly hope to make the pro- 
phetic sermons as attractive as the stories of 
Genesis perhaps, but it is possible to give a child 
a true conception of the purpose and value of the 
prophetic books, and to implant a desire to know 
more of them as he grows older. 

In order to produce this desirable result, the 
teacher must aim (a) to bring the prophets, or 
preachers as we shall call them, before the mind 
of the pupil as real historical persons, making each 
stand out as a distinct personality ; (6) to repro- 
duce the sermons as growing out of and directly 
addressed to the times in which the prophet lived ; 
(c) to select sermons having for a background 
comparatively clear and vivid historical events 
which will conveniently take the story form. 

As will be seen from the method of treatment 
of the books of Law, Poetry, Vision, and Letters, 
the same general principle of historical association 
is observed. The personal element in these books 
is present, and can be utilized, by careful selec- 

131 



132 An Introduction to the Bible 

tion, in such a way as to give the children at least 
a slight introduction to the book, although little 
can be expected from them in the way of indi- 
vidual reading. 

It must be admitted that the teacher who under- 
takes to present the lessons under this section 
must prepare more carefully, must read more fully, 
must enter more thoroughly into the historical 
spirit of the material, than has been necessary in 
the teaching of the books of History and Story. 
If the purpose of the lessons can be accomplished, 
however, the remaining books of the Old Testa- 
ment will be given life and meaning, when other- 
wise they might continue always to many of the 
children an "undiscovered country." The desired 
result is evidently worth the most vigorous effort. 

It will sometimes be necessary to paraphrase 
the passages presented from these books, in order 
to make them more intelligible to the children. A 
paraphrase is a restatement of a passage which 
gives the true interpretation of the original pas- 
sage in language which makes it clearer and more 
impressive to the hearer. A paraphrase must be 
made, therefore, with the particular class to whom 
it is to be presented in mind. For the purpose of 
illustration, we quote the following paraphrase of 
Amos, chap. 3. from Sanders and Kent, Messages 
of the Prophets * 

* A most interesting and instructive presentation of the prophetic 
material in modern form (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1901). 



Introductory Remarks 133 

Give heed, O Israelites, to the solemn message 
which Jehovah sends to you, his favored people: "True, 
you of all nations stand in a peculiarly intimate rela- 
tion to me. Do not deceive yourselves, however, by 
thinking that for that reason you will be exempted 
from punishment. On the contrary, greater privilege 
brings with it greater responsibility, and therefore, in 
the light of your base betrayal of the trust, severer 
judgment." 

Some of you question my right thus to address you 
in the name of Jehovah. Consider: Does anything 
come to pass in the natural world without a sufficient 
cause ? Conversely, does not a sufficient cause produce 
a corresponding effect ? 

The fact that I stand here preaching to you, al- 
though so doing endangers my life, implies a cause, 
namely, that Jehovah has given me a revelation con- 
cerning you. When he commands, his prophet must 
obey. 

Ye are the chosen people of Jehovah! Let procla- 
mation be made, and your heathen neighbors sum- 
moned to witness the state of anarchy within your 
capitol, and the crimes of oppression, and of legalized 
robbery, which your nobles are committing. 

While such enormities exist, think not for a mo- 
ment that your land, and those greedy rulers who are 
betraying you, shall escape the common judgment. 
Worthless shall be that which is left of all these 
princely palaces, with their luxurious appointments; 
overthrown shall be the royal sanctuary here at Bethel, 
when the rapacious world -conqueror who is advancing 
has completed his work of destruction. 

This is for the readers for whom it was in- 
tended a most admirable, dignified, and enlighten- 



134 An Introduction to the Bible 

ing paraphrase, but it would be more difficult for 
the ten-year-old child to understand than the 
biblical text itself, for the reason that the modern 
sound of it would lead him to try to understand 
all of it, while with the biblical text itself his 
mind rests upon the sentences or statements 
which he can understand, passing completely over 
the remainder, which seems remote from his in- 
terest. For children, therefore, a paraphrase 
should not be a thorough restatement of the 
thought, but should simply modernize occasional 
words or phrases in order to bring them so far 
within the child's vocabulary that he is able to 
catch their spirit, although he may not for many 
years grasp their full meaning. The teacher 
should therefore, with the class in mind, make 
such modifications and omissions, or introduce 
such explanatory words, as seem necessary. A 
further reason for making as few changes in the 
text as possible lies in the fact that the children 
are required to read at home some portion of the 
sermons presented in class, and they should not 
be allowed to find what they read at home so much 
more difficult to understand than that which is 
read by the teacher in class. 



LESSON XXVIII 

AMOS PREACHING AT BETHEL 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the idea of a Ser- 
mon book. 2. To present a typical Old Testa- 
ment prophet or preacher. 3. To picture a his- 
torical situation, a prominent characteristic of 
which was a false conception of the character of 
God, in order to present, through the sermons of 
the prophet, a true characteristic of God. 

II. Material for Study. 

Cornill, Prophets of Israel, pp. 1-46. 

The book of Amos. 

For all study of the Minor Prophets The Book of the 
Twelve Prophets, by George Adam Smith, is unsurpassed 
in its power to put the reader into the very situation and 
mind of the prophet. To compel the purchase of two vol- 
umes, however, for the teaching of four lessons seems un- 
wise, and the briefer work of Cornill is therefore suggested. 
The teacher is urged, however, to read the larger work by 
Dr» Smith, if possible. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Read the material in Cornill, and such other 
books or articles on the subject as you may have 
access to, and then the book of Amos under the 
divisions indicated in the analysis given below, 
gathering facts as you go under the following 
heads: 

135 



136 An Introduction to the Bible 

a) Facts about the man Amos. Who was he? 
Where did he live ? Where did he preach ? How 
did he dress ? What was his station in life, and 
his occupation ? Was he a politician, a theologian, 
or both ? What was his purpose ? (Special effort 
should be expended in the preparation of this les- 
son, as the principles of study illustrated apply to 
the study of all Old Testament Prophecy.) 

b) The period of Jeroboam II., the political 
conditions, relations of Israel with Syria, Assyria, 
and with Judah. 

c) The sanctuary at Bethel; the religious cus- 
toms connected with the sanctuaries in general 
and the conception of God involved in them. 

d) The social life of the times, moral standards, 
and ethical ideals, as illustrated in the life of the 
people. 

e) The ideas of Amos concerning sin and pun- 
ishment. 

/) The political sagacity of Amos. 
g) The skill of Amos in presenting his arraign- 
ment of the people of Israel. 

ANALYSIS OF AMOS 

1. Judgment upon the nations, 1 3 — 2 5 . 

2. Judgment against Israel, 2 6 ~ 16 . 

3. The roar of the lion ; destruction is coming, 3 1_8 . 

4. The doom of Samaria, 3 9 — 4 3 . 

5. Israel's failure to understand divine judgment, 
4 4 " 13 . 



Amos Preaching at Bethel 137 

6. A dirge announcing Israel's destruction, 5 1_6 . 

7. Transgressors shall come to grief, 5 7 > 10 - 17 . 

8. The doom of captivity, 5 i»— 6 u 

9. Three visions of destruction, 7 1_9 . 

10. An accusation and a reply, 7 1(M7 . 

11. A fourth vision of destruction with an explana- 
tory discourse, 8 1 ~ u . 

12. A fifth vision of destruction with a description 
of the ruin, 9 l_8a . 

13. A voice of promise, 9 8 & - 15 . 

2. Picture to yourself the scene at Bethel: the 
rich pageantry and oriental luxury of the city of 
the royal sanctuary, especially at the time of the 
visit of the king; the prophet gathering a crowd 
about him and haranguing it from a corner of the 
street or some elevated ground; the apparent 
hopelessness of making any impression upon 
the crowd at such a time; the determination of 
the prophet to deliver his message regardless of 
risk to himself ; the interference of Amaziah ; and 
the probable departure of Amos from the city. 

3. Study the situation. Were the people irre- 
ligious, or too religious in the sense of being 
devoted to external form? Was it the lack of 
worship of Jehovah, or the excess to which it was 
carried, and the nature of the practices connected 
with it, that the prophet reproved? Was it that 
the religious worship in which they were so zeal- 
ously engaged had in it no ethical element, being 
a thing apart from moral action? Was not Jeho- 



138 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

vah, in the estimation of the people, a god to be 
appeased, conciliated, and rewarded by multitu- 
dinous and costly offerings and elaborate sacri- 
fices, the moral nature of Jehovah, and his 
requirement of a righteous life in men being 
unknown, or not understood? 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall the books of History and Story in 
the Old and New Testaments, letting the children 
name them. 

2. Recall also the sermon by Peter, and the 
fact that his sermons are few, and found in a book 
of history and story ; and then the fact that there 
are, as we learned in our first lesson, entire books 
made up of sermons, collected by the men who 
wrote them or by their friends. 

3. Talk with the children informally about 
modern sermons. What are they about? Where 
preached? By whom? To what sort of people 
are they usually preached, to Christians or to great 
sinners? In what spirit, that of condemnation or 
encouragement? In what form — e. g., a text and 
a discourse upon it? 

4. Describe now the prophet or preacher of 
Old Testament times — his appearance, dress (show 
the class a copy of Hosea,* from the Sargent 
frieze of the prophets, if possible; if not, describe 

* The picture of Isaiah from this frieze is contained in the note- 
books provided for use with this course. 



Amos Preaching at Bethel 139 

the oriental form of dress) ; the place from which 
he preached — e. g., streets, temple courts, any- 
where where an audience could be collected ; and 
the spirit of his preaching. 

5. Explain the name "prophet" by which he 
was called, " speaker for God." Recall to the 
children that Israel was chosen to teach the world 
what God was like and how he wished men to live. 
Just so the prophets were chosen in order that 
God might teach them; that they might teach 
Israel and Israel in turn teach the world. 

6. Present now a vivid picture of the times of 
Jeroboam II. : the luxury ; on the one hand, the 
rich and aristocratic classes, and on the other, 
the poor and oppressed; Bethel and the splendor 
of the worship of Jehovah conducted there; the 
confidence of the people in Jehovah, their God, 
producing a great sense of security and joyous- 
ness throughout the land of Israel ; the failure to 
understand Jehovah, and his requirement that 
men be honest and upright in their daily lives. 

7. Tell of Amos the preacher and his ability to 
see (a) that the idea of Jehovah, as a God whose 
favor was to be bought by offerings and splendor of 
worship was all false; (6) that Jehovah demanded 
right living and would punish greed, dishonesty, 
oppression, and selfish living. 

Picture the visit of Amos to Bethel at the time 
of the annual pilgrimage of the king, whose palace 



140 An Introduction to the Bible 

was in Samaria, and read 3 9 " 15 ; 4 1 " 11 ; 53,11,12,14,15, 
21 " 27 . Then describe his coming into, possibly, the 
very presence of the great priest and the great altar 
of gold, and read 7 10 ~ 17 . In reading the above 
passages, bear in mind the previous suggestions 
in regard to paraphrasing, and keep the messages, 
as far as possible, in the strong and majestic lan- 
guage in which they now stand. The children will 
feel the impressiveness of it and be attracted by it. 

V. Written Work. — Upon the first page of the 
section for Books of Sermons write The Book 
of Amos, and under that a title such as Amos 
Preaching at Bethel 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Amos, 
chaps. 3, 4. Memorize Amos 5 14 ' 15 . Before as- 
signing these verses, read them with the children, 
and explain what is meant by the phrase " estab- 
lish justice in the gate," referring to the ancient 
custom by which officers or rulers in a city ad- 
ministered law and justice at the city gate. Ex- 
plain also the phrase the "remnant of Jacob" as 
referring to Israel. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — The greatest ser- 
vice which the parent can render in connection with 
these lessons in prophecy is to give the child a 
better conception of the relations of the ancient 
nations of Syria, Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt 
to each other and to Palestine. The great names 
in Assyria in connection with Israelitish invasions 



Amos Preaching at Bethel 141 

are Tiglath-Pileser III., Sargon II., and Sennach- 
erib. A map of this ancient world is inserted, 
as much for the benefit of the parent as of the 
teacher. Upon the basis of this the relation 
of Palestine to these great world-powers may be 
studied, and the desirability of the possession of 
the land of Palestine as an unobstructed passage 
between Egypt and Assyria may be appreciated. 

Study the map with the children. Tell them 
as much as you can learn of the great campaigns 
which raged across the land of Palestine. If pos- 
sible, consult Goodspeed, History of the Baby- 
lonians and Assyrians, Part III, chaps. 3-6. If 
this is not available, take the names of the different 
kings named above, and make them a basis for 
gathering information from whatever source is 
available. 

While many parents will not have time for this 
special historical study, a simple statement of the 
bare facts of invasion, constantly threatened and 
sometimes realized, of a great army hostile to 
Israel, such as can be gathered from the biblical 
material indicated for study under each lesson, 
will help to make the prophets appear to the chil- 
dren as real and once living men. Study their 
personal characteristics of mind and heart. Per- 
haps you may be able to see some one character- 
istic in each stronger than others, and this may 
serve to distinguish him in the mind of the child; 



142 An Introduction to the Bible 

as, for instance, in Amos, his cry of " judgment." 
Read the sermons with the children as often as 
they wish, and encourage them to read for them- 
selves. Let them read the sermons aloud, imper- 
sonating the prophet, you yourself representing 
the people to whom he is preaching. 



LESSON XXIX 

HOSEA PREACHING THE LOVE OF GOD 

I. Aim. — 1. To continue the study of the 
Sermon books. 2. To suggest the origin of a 
prophetic message in the personal experience of 
the prophet. 3. To teach Hosea's lesson of the 
love of God. 

II. Material for Study. 

Cornill, Prophets of Israel, pp. 47-55. 
2Kingsl5S-si ; 17 1-18. 

The book of Hosea. 

(See note under previous lesson concerning George 
Adam Smith, Book of the Twelve Prophets.) 

III. Preparation of the Lesson, 

1. Read with great care the material in Cornill, 
and note the statement concerning Hosea's family 
history which gives the key to the interpretation 
of his book, and of the character of Hosea. Note 
also that the prophet seems to be a resident of 
Samaria, the capital of northern Israel. 

2. From the references in Kings study the 
state of politics, both internal and foreign, and 
the rapid decline of the kingdom which ended in 
the destruction of Samaria 722 B. C, about a 
decade after the probable date of the death of 

143 



144 An Introduction to the Bible 

Hosea. A vivid picture of the social and reli- 
gions conditions of the times may be constructed 
from a study of the allusions which are found in 
every chapter in the book of Hosea. In an ap- 
preciation of these conditions, with Hosea the 
man of tragic love and sorrow in the midst of 
them, lies the only possibility of appreciating the 
wonderful similitude of the love and forbearance 
of Jehovah toward his people as conceived by 
Hosea. 

3. Read the book, or as large a portion of it as 
possible, using the following outline: 

ANALYSIS OF HOSEA 

1. The harlotry of Gomer, the prophet's wife, 

12-9. 

2. The purchase of Gomer as a slave, and her reten- 
tion many days, 3 1_5 . 

3. Israel's harlotry and her punishment therefor, 

2 2-5, 8-12, 13, 17, 

4. Later voices describing Israel's return to Jehovah, 

2 6, 7, 14, 15, 18-23. 1 10 2 K 

5. Jehovah's contention with Israel on account of 
sins encouraged by the priests, 4 1_19 , 

6. The guilt of priests and princes, 5 1 ~ u . 

7. Fitful repentance insufficient to remove Israel's 
guilt, 5 is— 7 7 . 

8. The confusion of the nation, 7 8 — 8 3 . 

9. Israel's kings and idols displeasing and destruc- 
tive, 8 4-14. 

10. Israel's Exile — a breaking up of social and re- 
ligious habits, 9 1_9 . 



Hosea Pkeaching the Love of God 145 

11. Israel is corrupt; the life of the old as well as 1 
the young is licentious. 9 10_17 . 

12. Israel is wicked in proportion to her prosperity; 
but an end is coming of all that she has falsely trusted, 
101-8. 

13. Israel's history consists of sin, guilt; the fruit of 
such seed is a sad harvest; desolation, destruction, and 
death — even of the king, 10 9- 15 . 

14. Israel is a child; Jehovah his father, with all 
the love of a father, even in the face of ingratitude and 
desertion, 11 1_11 . 

15. Israel's falsity and faithlessness from the first, 
in spite of efforts through prophets, must bring retri- 
bution and ruin, 11 12 — 12 u . 

16. The utter destruction of Israel, 13 1_11 . 

17. Ephraim condemned to Sheol, 13 12 ~ 16 . 

18. Wordsof hope, 141-8. 

19. The lesson to be learned, 14 9 . 

4. As a matter of personal interest, consider 
how large a part of the conception of God which 
we hold today is the product of individual thought 
based upon some personal experience which, after 
it has passed, is seen to be providential or or- 
dered for a good purpose. Is it strange that 
the prophets should have drawn a portion of 
their knowledge of God from personal experi- 
ence? Is not this a true method of divine reve- 
lation, and one which would make a much deeper 
impression than the mere communication of a 
verbal message? 



146 An Introduction to the Bible 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall the new class of books which we are 
studying and the Old Testament preacher described 
in connection with the last lesson. Ask a member 
of the class to tell the story of Amos preaching at 
Bethel. See if any child can suggest the theme 
of Amos's sermon — judgment, or punishment. If 
not, lead the class to that idea. But was there 
no hope? Call for the concert recitation of the 
memory verses, Amos 5 14 ' 15 . 

2. Explain that in Palestine there were two 
kingdoms, the north and the south, with two 
capitals, Samaria in the north and Jerusalem in 
the south, although these two capitals were less 
than fifty miles apart. It will be better if this 
can be shown on the map. Describe Samaria and 
its inhabitants in the time of Hosea, drawing upon 
the information which you have gained concerning 
the political, social, and religious conditions, 
emphasizing especially the growth of the worship 
of Baal, the Canaanitish god of the land, the sym- 
bol of whom was the calf, and the unfaithfulness 
of the people to the Jehovah worship. Raise the 
question whether Jehovah would be likely to 
punish the people for such conduct. If so, how 
might he do it? By famine, pestilence, war, or 
some great calamity ? 

3. Tell the children about the two great nations, 
Assyria and Egypt, and their contentions for the 



Hosea Preaching the Love of God 147 

possession of the land of Palestine. Show them 
on the map just how these lands were located. 
Tell them of the tribute already paid by the king 
of northern Israel to the king of Assyria. Might 
it be that the nation of Assyria could be used by 
Jehovah to punish Israel? 

4. The series of episodes in the life of Hosea 
which taught him the lesson of Jehovah's love are 
such as cannot be fully discussed with little children, 
yet every child can understand that a wife and 
mother who deserts her home and children to seek 
pleasure in a great city is doing wrong, and bringing 
great sorrow upon the husband who loves her, and 
the children who need her care. They can appreci- 
ate the patient love of a husband who would go to 
seek her and buy her back from a slave master, 
loving her all the time. Tell the story of Hosea 
in this simple form. Let the children imagine a 
lapse of years and then Hosea reflecting upon the 
strange history of his life, saying to himself, per- 
haps: "If I can still love my wife who deserted 
me, and can go after her and bring her back, 
cannot God still love his chosen people, and will he 
not stretch out his arms to them in love and mercy 
and bring them back to himself ? Surely Jehovah 
is more than man, and this is the message that I 
must preach. Perhaps, if the people knew that 
Jehovah was still loving them, some of them might 
turn to him again." 



1-iS Ay Introduction to the Bible 

5. Read, then, as specimens of sermons which 
Hosea may have preached before he learned fully 
about the love of Jehovah. Hos. -4 1-3 (explain the 
name Ephraim — simply another name for Israel); 
,34-*. 7 11-16. 10^8,1215 Simplify or paraphrase 

onlv where necessarv. Call attention to the fact 
that the prophet believes that the people will be 
carried into Assyria as captives of war. Read 
now chap. 11. a sermon which represents what 
Hosea thought after his own sorrow had taught 
him that Jehovah could still love his disobedient 
people. Let the class follow in their Bibles, as you 
read. 

6. Ask the children to name one about whom 
they have already studied who spent his whole life 
in teaching of the love of God. Xote for them 
that Jesus lived seven hundred years after Hosea 
died. How long a time it took to teach the 
world about the love of God ! 

V. Written Work, — Divide the Amos page, 
and on the lower half write The Book of Hosea, 
and under this Hosea Preaching the Love of God. 
or an equally appropriate title. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Hos.. 
chap. 11: Luke. chap. 15. Review memory verse. 
John 3*. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — See sugges- 
tions for the previous week. Emphasize and 



HoSEA PEE ACHING THE LOVE OF GrOD 149 

expand the history contained in the passages from 
Kings referred to in this lesson, continuing to the 
fall of Samaria. 

If possible, tell the story of the history of 
Judah up to the time of Isaiah, the next prea ;her 
to be presented. 



LESSON XXX 

ISAIAH PREACHING IN THE BESIEGED CITY 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the Sermons of 
Isaiah. 2. To illustrate a case of prediction, no 
assurance of the fulfilment of which appeared in 
the situation. 

II. Material for Study. 

Cornill, Prophets of Israel, pp. 56-70. 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 365-72. 

Isaiah 105-12 6; 14 24-27; 1712-14; chaps. 28-37; 38,39; 
2 Kings, chaps. 18, 19. 

Remark.— To many CornilFs treatment of Isaiah will 
seem to fail to do him full justice, either as a statesman or 
as a preacher. The most satisfactory treatment is found in 
Driver, Isaiah, His Life and Times* — a book which 
should be in the hands of every student of Isaiah. It 
should also be stated that many scholars hold the view 
that the book had more than one author, chaps. 1-39 being 
the work of the Isaiah of the times of Ahaz and Hezekiah, 
and chaps. 40-66 that of other prophets, perhaps living in 
Babylon during the exile and later. For the purposes of 
this course all the material will be drawn from the first 
section, and the question of authorship need not affect the 
work. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. The work of Isaiah extended over so long a 
period of time that in the preparation for one les- 
son, which is all that will be taken from his book, 
one cannot hope to cover, even for one's own in- 

* " Men of the Bible " series. 

150 



Isaiah Preaching in the Besieged City 151 

formation, the whole field. Tt seems best, there- 
fore, to confine our attention to a single series of 
sermons, or fragments of sermons, preached in 
702-701 B. C, in connection with the invasion 
of the Assyrian armies under Sennacherib. From 
the material suggested for study try to gain a 
clear idea of (a) the rebellion of Hezekiah 
against the king of Assyria, and his alliance with 
Egypt and Ethiopia; (6) the invasion of Sennach- 
erib in 701, bringing the fall of many Phoeni- 
cian cities, and a state of siege in Jerusalem; (c) 
the changed policy of Isaiah in the face of this 
immediate danger, from denunciation of sin and 
threats of destruction, to encouragement of the 
faint-hearted, and promises of swift and sure de- 
liverance for the city of Jerusalem and its inhabi- 
tants. Compare chap. 5 with 10 5 — 12 6 . 

2. Study the style of Isaiah as an orator. Note 
its vividness, its poetic form and spirit, his effect- 
ive use of contrast, his wonderful idealism. 

3. Study the ideal universal peace which Isaiah 
pictures while in the closest touch with the bloody 
Assyrian wars of conquest. Note also that, while 
Isaiah was preaching deliverance and peace, the 
foundations of Rome were being laid in blood- 
shed. Consider the history of the world since 
that time. Has Isaiah's ideal yet been realized 
in the world ? Is it possible to account for such 
an idealistic conception except by a special revela- 



152 An Introduction to the Bible 

tion of God to the mind of the prophet? Does 
not this conception of the character of Jehovah 
as averse to war and judgment place Isaiah far in 
advance of the prophets who preceded him? 

4. Learn to tell simply, but with all the de- 
tails, the story in Isa., chaps. 36, 37. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Having written upon the blackboard the 
names of all the books of Sermons, ask the chil- 
dren to indicate to you those already studied. 
Point out the fact that of the fourteen books, two are 
long and twelve short. Let the children learn 
with you the names of the first five in the list, indi- 
cating the two long or "Major" prophets. 

2. Ask one child to tell of the dress and man- 
ner of preaching of an Old Testament preacher; 
another, what Amos chiefly preached; and another, 
Hosea's great theme. 

3. Recall to the class the fact that Palestine 
contained two kingdoms, and tell how the city of 
Samaria, in which Hosea lived, had, previous to 
the times which we are now to study, been de- 
stroyed by the Assyrians, its inhabitants being now 
in captivity. Show on the map how near this city 
was to Jerusalem, and note the fact that Jerusalem 
had already acknowledged the authority of the As- 
syrian king, in return for his promise of protection. 

4. Tell the story of Hezekiah's rebellion from 
Assyria and the coming of the Assyrian army, as 



Isaiah Pkeaching in the Besieged City 153 

described in 2 Kings, chaps. 18, 19, and Isa., 
chaps. 36, 37, omitting the last paragraph, which 
contains the final result of the siege. 

5. Describe the conditions in the city during 
the siege ; lack of food and water, the wounded, 
sick, and dying; no one going in or out of the 
city gates ; the constant fear that the defense of 
the city was useless, and that soon the Assyrians 
would enter and burn and pillage the city, carry- 
ing men, women, and children into captivity. 

6. Picture Isaiah going about the city, cheering 
and encouraging the soldiers, stimulating them to 
renewed efforts, persuading the king and his 
household to postpone surrender, and proclaiming 
everywhere that the Assyrian army was powerless 
against Jehovah, for Jehovah had said that the 
Assyrians should not enter the city, but would 
surely be sent back to their own land. 

7. Read to the children the following speci- 
mens of the sermons which Isaiah preached in 
those trying days, paraphrasing in a few sentences 
10 5-23. »o, Assyria, thou art only a rod in my 
hand," says Jehovah. " Boast not thyself of thy 
many conquests, of the capture of even Samaria, 
saying thus will I do to Jerusalem, for it is I who 
permitted you to do this. Your end is near. I 
am about to consume your great army as with a 
flame of fire." Read vss. 24-27, the prophet's 
words of encouragement, and 28-34, the approach 



154 An Introduction to the Bible 

of the army as seen in the imagination of the 
prophet; 14 24 " 27 ; 17 12 " 14 ; 29 ^; (Ariel is here a 
name for Jerusalem); 30 27 ~ 31 ; 31 5 " 9 ; 33 1 " 12 ' 17 " 24 . 
Now return to 37 36 ~ 38 , and read the outcome of 
the siege. The angel of the Lord, that is, death, 
smote the Assyrian army and destroyed it so com- 
pletely that the remaining portion of it hastened 
in terror back to Assyria. (In order not to weary 
the children omit one or more of the above passages 
if the interest seems to flag.) 

8. Discuss with the children the source of 
Isaiah's confidence that - this deliverance would 
come, of course leading to the conclusion that Je- 
hovah in some way made Isaiah understand that it 
would come. 

V. Written Work. — On a new page write 
Isaiah and under that, Isaiah Preaching about 
the Saving of the City of Jerusalem, or its equiv- 
alent. 

VI. Home Work for the Children.- — Read Isa., 
chaps. 36, 37, 10 24 " 27 , ll 19 . Memorize the names 
of all the books of Sermons.* (Two weeks will be 
allowed for this.) 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — It will perhaps 
be difficult to do more than to assist the children 
to memorize the rather formidable list of books 
of Sermons, and to reread with them the frag- 
ments of sermons indicated under Section IV, 7. 



LESSON XXXI 

JEREMIAH AND THE FALSE PROPHETS 

AN ACTED SERMON 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce another Sermon book. 
2. To present a sketch of the life of the most per- 
secuted and persistent of prophets. 3. To give 
an illustration of a symbolic or acted sermon. 

II. Material for Study.* 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 372-91. 
Cornill, Prophets of Israel, pp. 91-107. 
Jeremiah, chaps. 27, 28. 
2 Kings, chaps. 22-25. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. From your reading try to gain a clear con- 
ception of the change of the dominating power in 
Jerusalem from that of Assyria to her successor, 
Babylon, and of the policy of Nebuchadnezzar. 
Study the order and nature of the events in Judah 
from the reformation under Josiah to the fall of Je- 
rusalem and the consequent captivity in Babylon. 

2 e In order to gain a more vivid conception of 
the character and personality of the prophet, read 
Jer., chaps. 7-10, 26, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 35, 36. 

3. Review the events in the life of the prophet 
until you can tell the whole story in graphic 
detail (see Cornill and Wade). 

*If possible, read Oheyne, Jeremiah, His Life and Times ("Men 
of the Bible " series). 

155 



156 An Introduction to the Bible 

4. Study the particular situation described in 
chaps. 27, 28 : the false, or inferior, prophets, not 
knowing Jehovah, having had no direct message 
from him, nevertheless resting in the self-assurance 
of their supposed knowledge, making the most 
definite and hopeful promises for the deliverance 
of Jerusalem. Estimate the political influence 
which they must have had in view of the fact that 
the king and the royal advisers also felt secure in 
the belief that Jehovah would never allow Jeru- 
salem and the temple to be destroyed. Contrast 
with this the spiritual isolation of Jeremiah with 
his unchangeable conviction that only in submis- 
sion to Babylon could even temporary safety be 
secured, and that the final destruction of the city 
was inevitable on account of the wickedness of its 
inhabitants. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Call for the recitation of the names of the 
first seven books of Sermons. Drill the class until 
all know these. Then test individual members of 
the class upon the remaining seven, but do not 
insist upon a knowledge of the latter until the next 
lesson. 

2. Draw from the class some special, distin- 
guishing statement about the sermons of each of 
the preachers already introduced. 

3. After recalling the wonderful deliverance of 
the city of Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah, sketch 



Jeremiah and the False Prophets 157 

the long period of wickedness, and forgetfulness 
of Jehovah, which followed the death of Hezekiah, 
until, at last, Jehovah had determined to destroy 
the city. Tell briefly and graphically the story of 
Jeremiah, the one true preacher in the city, pic- 
turing the conditions under which he worked, in 
Zedekiah's reign; the worship of the gods of many 
other nations in the temple of Jehovah ; the false 
prophets, with their assurances of safety; the 
struggles, persecutions, and escapes of Jeremiah, 
omitting the particular episode of Jeremiah's dis- 
cussion with Hananiah. 

4. Suggest that there are sermons which are 
presented, not in words alone, but in actions. 
Partly tell and partly read the story in chaps. 27, 
28 by which Jeremiah tries to tell the people that 
only in submission to Babylon could there be 
safety, since Jehovah had said that it was he himself 
who, because they had continually forgotten to 
serve and obey him, had given their land to the 
king of Babylon. 

5. Raise the question as to what other person 
gave his life to the work of teaching about God 
and was finally killed by the people whom he was 
trying to teach. Was Jeremiah something like 
Jesus ? 

V. Written Work. — Upon a new page write 
Jeremiah, and under that Jeremiah Preaching 
the Destruction of Jerusalem. 



158 An Introduction to the Bible 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Jer., 
chaps. 27, 28. For memory work see last lesson. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents.— Tell the story 
of Jeremiah, and read with the children the chap- 
ters indicated under Section III, 2, which give 
most interesting episodes in his life. 



LESSON XXXII 

JONAH A STOKY-SERMON 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce a Sermon book 
which is intensely interesting to a child and which 
can be read through at a sitting. 2. To illustrate 
the use of a story in preaching a sermon. 3. To 
emphasize the teaching of the book, the love of 
God for all mankind. 

II. Material for Study.* 

Cornill, The Prophets of Israel, pp. 170-73. 
Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 465-503. 
The book of Jonah. 

. III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Note the reference to Jonah in 2 Kings 
14 25 , and consider the fact that a prophet of such 
influence must have acquired some fame, and that 
stories about him would be likely to be preserved. 

2. Recall from your reading of Wade's Old 
Testament History the disappointing experience of 
the return from the exile and the formation of the 
religious community in Jerusalem. Consider the 
rapid growth in this period of the spirit of exclu- 
siveness which appeared in the time of Jesus in 
Pharisaism. To the strict Jew of this period it was 
impossible to conceive of Jehovah as having a 

* See again note concerning George Adam Smith, The Book of 
the Twelve Prophets^ Lesson XXVIII. 

159 



160 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

relation of care and tenderness to any save his 
ransomed people. The great truth that the Chris- 
tian religion would be for gentiles as well as Jews 
found expression in germ in the book of Jonah. 

3. Understanding that the book was written 
for a religious purpose — is, in fact, a sermon in 
four parts — try to restore the simple story which 
formed the basis of the book: perhaps that the 
great prophet was sent by Jehovah upon this 
strange errand to a foreign city, and, desiring to 
escape from the unpleasant duty, ran away from 
Jehovah, whose jurisdiction seems, in the mind of 
the prophet, to have been limited to Palestine. 
At last, after strange adventures, he goes on his 
errand, but his message is met by such a spirit of 
repentance on the part of the Ninevites that the 
judgment of Jehovah is revoked, and Jonah 
returns to his own land. The apparent failure of 
his mission must have led to many Jonah stories. 
The one which we have has survived, because, in 
the hands of a later prophet, perhaps the very 
latest of Old Testament times, it has been made 
to teach the most spiritual lesson presented by 
any Old Testament prophet, namely, the love of 
God for all mankind. 

If a question arises as to the truth of the story 
of the great fish, call attention to the fact that 
this is only one of the miracles in the book. The 
story was doubtless a current one well known to 



Jonah — a Stoky-Sekmon 161 

the author of the book. In his use of it he is 
concerned only with its possibilities as a medium 
through which he may teach the great religious 
truth which he has in mind. 

4. Read the book, using the following outline, 
and noting the remarkable literary form — four 
sections, the first three containing three separate, 
but extremely similar, episodes, the inference from 
which leads directly to the religious teaching of 
the last section. 

a) Jonah's commission and flight, the storm, the 
detection of Jonah, his punishment, and the climax: 
the heathen sailors, having turned to God, are deliv- 
ered. 

b) Jonah swallowed by the fish: turns to Jehovah 
in prayer, and is delivered, 

c) Jonah's second commission, the message deliv- 
ered, the Ninevites proclaim a fast, and the Ninevites, 
turning to God, are delivered. 

d) Jonah's discontent, and the rebuke of God; the 
great climax of the book in vs. 11, the love of God for 
all mankind. 

5. Recall the story-sermon of Jesus which 
taught the same lesson of the love of God, namely 
the story of the Prodigal Son, Luke, chap. 15. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson, 

1. Drill the class for a few moments upon the 
repetition of the names of the books of Sermons. 

2. Let the children recall the various preachers 
and their methods of preaching: (a) the street 



162 An Intkoduction to the Bible 

sermon of Amos; (6) the experience sermon of 
Hosea; (c) the work of Isaiah in the besieged 
city ; (d) the acted sermon of Jeremiah. Suggest 
that there was still another way in which the 
prophets might teach, namely, by writing books 
which people might read. 

3. Picture the conditions in the rebuilt Jeru- 
salem and the growth of the spirit of exclusiveness 
with which the children are already familiar in the 
Pharisees. Suggest that there was an old prophet 
who thought that he knew Jehovah better than the 
people, and he believed that Jehovah, the God of 
all the world, must love and care for all the world ; 
and when the old prophet tried to think how he 
should tell the people what he wanted them to 
know so plainly that they could not possibly for- 
get or misunderstand it, he remembered a story, 
the story of the prophet Jonah, which everybody 
knew. It seemed to him that the story, if rightly 
understood, would make the great sermon which 
he wanted to write; and so we have the book of 
Jonah. 

4. Read with the children the first three sec- 
tions of the book, section by section, simplifying 
when necessary, omitting the psalm, and simply 
telling of Jonah's prayer for deliverance. 

5. Review each section, bringing out more 
strongly the three factors common to all — the 
danger, the turning to Jehovah, and the deliver- 
ance. 



Jonah — a Story-Sermox 163 

6. Tell of Jonah's anger and of the object 
lesson of the gourd, and read vss. 10, 11, the cli- 
max of the book. 

7. Let the children discuss what the prophet 
who wrote the book was trying to teach. Why did 
Jehovah in each case answer the prayer for 
deliverance ? Was it because he loved the heathen 
sailors, Jonah, and the people of Nineveh equally 
well ? Was the prophet then trying to teach that 
Jehovah loved all the world, and all men in it, 
and desired only that they love and worship him 
alone ? 

8. Raise the question: What other person who 
preached story-sermons taught the same lesson, 
and what was the story ? 

V. Written Work.— On the lower half of the 
Jeremiah page write The Book of Jonah, or The 
Story-Sermon of Jonah. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read the 
book of Jonah. Fill out the examination paper. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Render the 
necessary assistance with the home work assigned 
above. 



WRITTEN-ANSWER QUESTIONS 

1. Write the names of all the Sermon Books — 



2. What prophet preached at Bethel? — 

3. What did Hosea teach about God's relation to Israel ? 



4. What prophet helped to save the city of Jerusalem 
by his preaching? : 



5. What strange thing did Jeremiah do in order to 
persuade the people of Jerusalem to submit to the 

king of Babylon ? . 



6. Why do you like to read the book of Jonah f. 



164 



LESSON XXXIII 

JOB THE STORY-POEM 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the books of 
Poetry and Song, and especially the book of Job. 
2. To expand further the conception of the 
teaching purpose of the books of the Bible, by an 
example of an elaborate and lengthy poem, whose 
primary purpose was to teach a religious lesson. 

II. Material for Study. 

Moulton, The Book of Job, in Modern Reader's 
Bible; or, preferably 

Davidson, Job, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools 
and Colleges. 

The book of Job. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. ■ 

1. First read carefully the introduction to one 
of the volumes named above. Then, following 
the analysis in the volume chosen, read the poem 
through; or, if time does not permit so much 
reading, select the prologue, enough of each cycle 
of speeches to get the trend of the argument, and 
all of the speeches of Jehovah from the whirlwind. 

2. Note particularly the artificial arrangement 
of the events of the prologue, l 1-5 , the family 
picture; l 6 ' 12 , the scene in heaven; l 13 " 22 , the 
banquet, the messengers of destruction, and the 
meekness of Job; 2 1-6 , again a scene in heaven; 

165 



160 An Introduction to the Bible 

2 7 " 10 , the further affliction and the sustained 
righteousness of Job. 

Recalling the scenes in heaven, the striking 
disasters, two natural and two supernatural, all 
occurring in a single day, the fact that only one 
person is left each time to tell the story, and that 
the story is told each time in exactly the same 
words, must we not conclude that the writer is not 
recording exact history ? At the same time, is it 
not probable that a story of Job, a righteous man, 
who has remained patient under many afflictions, 
although no satisfactory cause for them could be 
seen, was one of the traditions of the Hebrews, 
and that this old tradition is here taken by the 
poet as a basis for a poem in which he intends 
(a) to portray, in the person of Job, the suffering 
righteous remnant of the people of Israel, in their 
exile in Babylon, and (6) to discuss the over- 
whelming problem of the suffering of righteous 
people, apparently at the hand of Jehovah ? 

This latter is too large a problem to present in 
any satisfactory way to children, and yet so many 
of the early Old Testament stories seem to associ- 
ate sin and suffering as cause and effect that a 
very simple suggestion of the problem in the mind 
of the writer should be made. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Let the children recall the various kinds of 
books in the Bible and name the kinds from which 



Job — the Story-Poem 167 

they have already studied. Ask them to find in 
the Bible a book called Job, to turn to the third 
chapter, and state what peculiarity they see in the 
appearance of the page. Some will immediately 
see that it is written in poetic form and that the 
book must belong to a class of books not yet 
studied, namely, the books of Poetry and Song. 
(This peculiarity will appear only in the Revised 
Version of the Bible. No idea of poetic form can 
be given through the use of the old version, and it 
will be very difficult for the children to believe that 
anything is poetry which is not written as poetry.) 

2. Recall the story of Jonah and the purpose 
which the prophet had in writing that book — to 
teach something about God. 

3. As in previous lessons, picture the condi- 
tions of the faithful Jews now in exile. Suggest 
that these faithful ones were continually troubled in 
their hearts by the question why they, who loved 
Jehovah and obeyed him, should have been carried 
away from their land and temple into Babylon, 
with their idolatrous fellow-countrymen. Why 
had Jehovah thus dealt with them? In other 
words, why do good people suffer ? That was the 
question about which they must always have been 
thinking. Among them was a great poet. He 
too had thought upon this question, and he felt 
that he could say something which would comfort 
the sorrowing people; so he wrote a story-poem, 



168 An Introduction to the Bible 

in which the chief character, Job, is intended 
to represent the righteous people in exile ; and in 
the story-poem he tried to show that God fre- 
quently allowed good people to suffer, perhaps to 
prove or test their goodness ; the writer could not 
be sure of the exact reason, but was sure that God 
in his goodness and power orders all things and 
knows what is best for each of his children. 

4. Read the story in the prologue, pausing 
between the change of scenes so that the children 
can follow more easily. Then review in the 
briefest way the speeches of Job's friends, empha- 
sizing only their insistence upon the fact that Job 
must have committed some sin for which he was 
suffering punishment, and their continued censure 
of Job for his anger and sorrow at such treatment 
from the hand of Jehovah. Picture Job's indig- 
nant denial of any sin, and his appeal to Jehovah 
to bring some definite accusation against him, or to 
cease to torment him with such suffering of mind 
and body. Then describe the coming of the storm 
and the voice of Jehovah out of the whirlwind. 

5. Read, simplifying only where you can do so 
without detriment to the majesty of the words, 
Job 38 1 ' 11 ' 16 - 27 ' 34 ' 35 > 37 ^ 41 ; 39 19 " 30 ; 40 3 " 9 ; 42 1 " 6 . 
Add in two or three effective sentences the conclu- 
sion of Job's story as found in the epilogue. 

6. Raise the question: Do you think the cap- 
tive people in Babylon were comforted by the 



Job — the Stoky-Poem 169 

story-poem ? Did they perhaps say to themselves : 
"We cannot know why Jehovah permits us to 
suffer so greatly. We have, like Job, lost all our 
possessions, our friends, and everything which 
gave us happiness ; but our God is great and wise ; 
we will not forsake him. He is the creator of all 
the universe, and provides for the necessities of 
every one of his creatures ; surely he cannot forget 
or too long neglect his chosen people. Perhaps, 
when his great purpose, whatever it may be, is 
fulfilled in us, then to us, as to Job, he will restore 
the blessings of land and temple and home." 

V. Written Work. — On the first page of the 
division for books of Poetry and Song write The 
Book of Job, a Story-Poem. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read Job, 
chaps. 1, 2. Memorize Ps. 24. (Two weeks will 
be allowed for this.) 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Eead with the 
children the chapters assigned for the week, and 
also the selections from the poem indicated under 
IV, 5. There is great danger, in such constant 
presentation of new material, that the children will 
lose the stories and memory selections of previous 
work. Try therefore to lead them to review each 
week a few of the stories, and to repeat each day 
some of the former memory work, in connection 
with the committing of new portions. 



LESSON XXXIV 

THREE SONGS OF THE NATION 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the book of Psalms. 
2. To give life and meaning to some special 
psalms, by suggesting possible association with 
once living persons, and historical events. 

II. Material for Study. 

A review of the lesson on Isaiah and the siege 
of Jerusalem. 

Psalms 46, 48. 

2 Samuel 5 1—6 19. 

Psalm 24. 

Wade, Old Testament History (see reference to Ark in 
the index). 

III. Preparation of the Lesson, 

1. The Psalms are recognized as a collection 
of the poems, songs, and hymns which accumu- 
lated in the progress of the history of the Hebrews, 
possibly from the earliest to the latest times. 

Doubtless many other psalms were written, but 
these, because of the strength of their appeal to 
the national or the individual heart, have been 
preserved. The origin of particular psalms is a 
question upon which we have no sufficient data, 
and yet, in accordance with the familiar principle 
that great national poems are most frequently the 

170 



Three Songs of the Nation 171 

outgrowth of stirring political events, we may with 
some confidence select certain psalms, the origin 
of which may most appropriately be associated 
with certain historical events. 

With this principle in mind, review carefully 
the political and religious situation in Jerusalem 
at the time of the invasion and siege of Sennach- 
erib, and study Pss. 46, 48, as possible expres- 
sions of the overwhelming joy, and confidence in 
Jehovah, which must have filled the hearts of the 
people, on account of the miraculous deliverance 
of the city. 

2. Study the historical situation at the begin- 
ning of David's reign, as described in 2 Sam., 
chaps. 5, 6; the capture of Jerusalem and the 
removal of the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem; 
the consequent centering there of all the social, 
political and military forces of the kingdom. 
Study the references in Wade, Old Testament 
History, and consider the close relation which 
Jehovah was supposed to sustain to the ark, his 
very presence accompanying it. Reflect how 
strong in the early life of David had been his 
spirit of dependence upon the favor of Jehovah, 
the bestowal of the kingdom itself being regarded 
as the strongest evidence of this favor. Since the 
continued presence of Jehovah was so desirable, it 
is most natural that David should wish to bring 
into the city of Jerusalem the ark, which was the 



172 An Introduction to the Bible 

symbol of Jehovah's presence, and which contained 
the sacred mementoes of the exodus from Egypt, 
and of the care of Jehovah for his people in their 
wilderness wanderings. The chapters in Samuel 
suggest that elaborate ceremonies attended this 
bringing up of the ark. 

Study Ps. 24, as possibly associated with the 
event, either as sung at the time, or as written at 
some later time, the writer having in mind this 
symbolic entrance of Jehovah into the city. This 
psalm lends itself most effectively to the antipho- 
nal arrangement which some commentators have 
suggested as common in the Psalms. The psalm 
would be divided for such rendition as follows: 

First choir, vss. 1-3; second choir, vss. 4-6. 
First choir, vs. 7; second choir, vs. 8a. 

First choir, vs. 86, c; second choir, . 

First choir, vs. 9; second choir, vs. 10a. 
First choir, vs. 106, c. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Let the children repeat' the classes of 
books, and name the special class which we are 
now studying. Let one child tell the story of 
Job, another the reason why the poet wrote about 
him. 

2. Show a hymn-book and ask for its name. 
Find the hymn " My Country, 'tis of Thee," and 
recall to the class, in connection with this, other 
patriotic hymns of our own and foreign countries. 



Thkee Songs of the Nation 173 

Let different members of the class tell all they can 
about the origin of such songs and hymns. They 
will undoubtedly connect some of them with 
political events or situations. 

3. Let the children find in their Bibles the 
book of Psalms. Suggest that here is another 
hymn-book, that used in the Temple at Jerusalem 
when Jesus was a boy, containing many hymns 
which were very old, perhaps some of them having 
been sung since the days of David, and many 
others which were much more recent. Would it 
not be interesting, to know if any of these hymns 
originated, as our national hymns did, in impor- 
tant historical events? Perhaps they did. 

4. Let one of the children tell the story of the 
siege of Jerusalem, of Isaiah's preaching, and of 
the deliverance of the city. Recapitulate with 
emphasis the distressing conditions, the terror, 
and the sudden deliverance from it. Picture the 
joy in the city, the gratitude to Jehovah, the 
wonder and awe at his power and protecting favor, 
the great desire to praise him. Would not the 
people naturally meet together, to sing and praise 
Jehovah for his power and goodness? Perhaps 
the songs which they sung were something like 
one which we shall read. 

5. Read Ps. 46. Call attention to Ps. 48 in 
the same connection, and ask the children to read 
it during the week. 



174 An Introduction to the Bible 

6. Recall to the class the story of David, and 
of the long persecution by Saul, and his final ele- 
vation to the throne of Israel. Then picture the 
establishment of the new capital, and the desire of 
David that Jehovah should dwell in the new city, 
not knowing that Jehovah was everywhere and 
could not be confined to a house or city. De- 
scribe the ark, the belief that Jehovah's presence 
and blessing followed it, and the two attempts to 
bring the ark to Jerusalem, the latter of which 
was successful. Picture the great procession, with 
music and religious dancing and singing. What 
would they sing ? Perhaps something like Ps. 24. 

7. Read Ps. 24, showing as you read how it 
might have been sung by two choirs, one in the 
procession winding up the hill toward the city 
gates, the other perhaps on the walls waiting the 
entrance of the procession, the one answering to 
the other. 

V. Written Work. — On a new page write The 
Hymn-Book of the Temple, The Psalms; and 
under that : (1) Songs of Joy and Victory, 46, 48; 
(2) Song of Jehovah Entering the City, 24. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read 2 
Sam. 5 1 — 6 19 . Memorize Ps. 24. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Review several 
stories and some of the earlier memory work. 
Beginning with the fifteenth chapter of Proverbs, 



Three Songs of the Nation 175 

help the children to pick out sayings about the 
righteous and the wicked, the rich and the poor, 
the foolish and the wise man, the proud and the 
humble, the tongue and the lips. By this means 
some idea may be gained of another book of 
poetry of which time will not permit the study in 
class. 



LESSON XXXV 

PSALMS FROM THE TEMPLE SERVICE 

I. Aim. — To give a setting to some of the devo- 
tional psalms which will increase the interest in 
them as associated with real occasions. 

II. Material for Study. 

Edersheim, The Temple, Its Ministry and Services, 
especially chap. 8. 

Psalms 24, 48, 82, 94, 81, 93, 92. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson, 

1. The following extracts from the book recom- 
mended above are inserted, in order that the 
teacher who has not access to the book may gain 
a conception of the daily morning sacrifice, and 
its accompanying services in the temple, as they 
existed in the times of Jesus: 

The Tabernacle was, as its Hebrew designation 
shows, the place " of meeting " between God and Israel ; 
the sacrificial service, that which made such meeting 
possible; and the priest, he who brought Israel near to 
God. Hence prayer could only follow after the sacrifice ; 
and its appropriate symbol and time was the burning 
of incense. This view is expressed in the words: "Let 
my prayer be set before Thee as incense," Ps. 91:2. 
.... 

The lot for burning the incense was the third by 
which the order of the ministry for the day was deter- 
mined. The first lot, which had in reality been cast 

176 



Psalms from the Temple Service 177 

before the actual break of day, was that to designate the 
various priests who were to cleanse the altar and to pre- 
pare its fires. .... 

These preliminaries finished, the priests gathered 
once more for the second lot. The priest on whom it 
fell was designated, along with the twelve who stood 
nearest him, for offering the sacrifice and cleansing the 
candlestick and the altar of incense 

Now, while one set of priests was busy in the Court 
of the Priests offering the sacrifice, the two on whom it 
devolved to trim the lamps of the candlestick and to 
prepare the altar of incense had gone into the Holy 
Place. As nearly as possible while the lamb was being 
slain without, the first of these priests took with his 
hands the burnt coals and ashes from the golden altar, 
and put them into a golden vessel, and withdrew, leav- 
ing it in the sanctuary. Similarly, as the blood of the 
lamb was being sprinkled on the altar of burnt -offering, 
the second priest ascended the three steps, hewn in 
stone, which led up to the candlestick. He trimmed 
and refilled the lamps that were still burning, removed 
the wick and old oil from those which had become ex- 
tinguished, supplied fresh, and relit them from one of 
the other lamps. But the large central lamp, toward 
which all the others bent, and which was called the 
western, because it inclined westward toward the Most 
Holy Place, might only be relit from fire from the altar 
itself. Only five, however, of the lamps were then 
trimmed; the other two were reserved to a later period 
of the service 

And now the most solemn part of the service was 
about to begin. For the third time the priests as- 
sembled in the " Hall of Polished Stones," to draw the 
third and the fourth lots. But before doing so the 



178 An Introduction to the Bible 

president called on them to join in the prescribed 
prayers. Tradition has preserved these to us, as follows : 

"With great love hast thou loved us, O Lord our 
God, and with much overflowing pity hast thou pitied 
us. Our Father and our King, for the sake of our 
fathers who trusted in thee, and thou taughtest them 
the statutes of life, have mercy upon us and enlighten 
our eyes (in thy law; cause our hearts to cleave to thy 
commandments; unite our hearts to love and to fear thy 
name, and we shall not be put to shame, world without 
end. For thou art a God who preparest salvation, and 
us hast thou chosen from among all nations and 
tongues, and hast, in truth, brought us near to thy great 
name, Selah, in order) that we in love may praise thee 
and thy Unity. Blessed be the Lord who in love chose 
his people Israel." 

After this prayer the Ten Commandments were 
wont to be repeated — a practice discontinued, however, 
lest the Sadducees should declare them to be the only 
essential part of the law. Then all assembled said the 
so-called " Shema" (Deut. 6 4 , etc.), which may be desig- 
nated as a sort of credo or belief. It consisted of these 
three passages: Deut. 6^; 11*3-21; Numb. 1537-41. 
• . . . 

Finally the third was succeeded by the fourth lot, 
which designated those who were to lay on the altar the 
sacrifice and the meat-offerings, and to pour out the 
drink-offering. 

The incensing priest and his assistants now ap- 
proached first the altar of burnt-offering. One filled 
with incense a golden censer held in a silver vessel, 
while another placed in a golden bowl burning coals 
from the altar. As they passed from the court into the 
Holy Place, they struck a large instrument, at the 



Psalms from the Temple Service 179 

sound of which the priests hastened from all parts to 
worship, and the Levites to occupy their place in the 
service of song. Slowly the incensing priest and his 
assistants ascended the steps to the Holy Place, pre- 
ceded by the two priests who had formerly dressed the 
altar and the candlestick, and who now removed the 
vessels they had left behind, and, worshiping, with- 
drew. Next, one of the assistants reverently spread the 
coals on the golden altar; the other arranged the in- 
cense; and then the chief officiating priest was left 
alone within the Holy Place, to await the signal of the 
president before burning the incense. As the president 
gave the word of command which marked that "the 
time of incense had come," "the whole multitude of the 
people without " withdrew from the inner court and fell 
down before the Lord, spreading their hands in silent 
prayer. 

The prayers offered by priests and people at this 
part of the service are recorded by tradition as fol- 
lows: "True it is that thou art Jehovah our God, and 
the God of our fathers; our King and the King of our 
fathers; our Savior and the Savior of oi*r fathers; our 
Maker and the Eock of our salvation; our Help and our 
Deliverer. Thy name is from everlasting, and there is 
no God beside Thee. A new song did they that were 
delivered sing to Thy name by the seashore; together 
did all praise and own Thee as King, and say Jehovah 
shall reign who saveth Israel." (See Edersheim for 
further prayers.) .... 

These prayers ended, he who had formerly trimmed 
the candlestick once more entered the Holy Place, to 
kindle the two lamps that had been left unlit; and 
then, in company with the incensing priest, took his 
stand on the top of the steps which led down to the Court 



180 An Introduction to the Bible 

of the Priests. The other three who had also minis- 
tered within the Holy Place gathered beside him, still 
carrying the vessels of their ministry: while the rest of 
the priests grouped themselves on the steps beneath. 
Meanwhile he on whom the fourth lot had fallen had 
ascended to the altar. They whose duty it was handed 
to him, one by one, the pieces of the sacrifice. Upon 
each he pressed his hands, and next flung them con- 
fusedly upon the fire, so that the flesh of the sacrifice 
might be scattered, as well as its blood sprinkled. 
After that he ranged them in order, to imitate as nearly 
as possible the natural shape of the animal. This part 
of the service was not infrequently performed by the 
high-priest himself. 

The priests who were ranged on the steps to the 
Holy Place now lifted their hands above their heads, 
spreading and joining their fingers in a peculiar mysti- 
cal manner. One of their number repeated in audible 
voice, followed by the others, the blessing in Numb. 
6 24-26 # To this the people responded: "Blessed be the 
Lord God, the God of Israel, from everlasting to ever- 
lasting." 

After the priestly blessing the meat-offering was 
brought. Finally the appropriate drink-offering was 
poured out upon the foundation of the altar. 

Upon this the temple music began. It was the 
duty of the priests who stood on the right and the left 
of the marble table, on which the fat of the sacrifices 
was laid, at the proper time to blow the blasts on the 
silver trumpets. The priests faced the people looking 
eastward, while the Levites who crowded the fifteen steps 
which led from the court of Israel to that of the Priests 
turned westward to the sanctuary. On a signal given 
by the president, the priests moved forward to each side 



Psalms fkom the Temple Service 181 

of him who struck the cymbals. Immediately the choir 
of the Levites, accompanied by instrumental music, 
began the psalm of the day. It was sustained by not 
less than twelve voices, with which mingled the deli- 
cious treble from selected voices of young sons of the 
Levites, who, standing by their fathers, might take part 
in this service alone. The psalm of the day was always 
sung in three sections. At the close of each the priests 
blew three blasts from the silver trumpets, and the 
people bowed down and worshiped. This closed the 
morning service. 

The order of psalms for the week was as fol- 
lows : first day, Ps. 24 ; second day, Ps. 48 ; third 
day, Ps. 82; fourth day, Ps. 94; fifth day, Ps. 81; 
sixth day, Ps. 93 ; seventh day, Ps. 92. 

Study this material carefully adding to it any 
knowledge which will help you to picture the 
scene. Prepare for yourself an outline program 
of this daily morning service in the temple, to 
which you can refer in describing it. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Recall to the children the use of the hymn- 
book, and let them suggest to you just how it is 
used in church. 

2. Propose that today we imagine ourselves 
living in the time of Jesus, and visiting Jeru- 
salem and the temple. It is the hour of the daily 
morning sacrifice. By description and the intro- 
duction at proper points of the reading of the 
prayers and psalms, carry the children through 



182 An Inteoduction to the Bible 

the service. At the point where the command- 
ments are repeated call upon the class to repeat 
them in concert; let them bow the head during 
the prayers. When the psalm for the day is to 
be sung, let the children repeat Ps. 24, which 
they have just memorized, and which is the psalm 
for the first day of the week. 

3. Call attention to the fact that Ps. 48, which 
the children have read during the week, is the 
psalm for the second day. Read, if time remains, 
Pss. 93 and 92, the psalms of the sixth and the 
seventh days. 

4. Raise the question for discussion: Which 
is better, and why, our own modern church ser- 
vice or this of the ancient temple? 

V. Written Work, — Write on the same page 
as last Sunday (3) Temple Psalms, 24, 48, 93, 92. 

VI. Home Work for the Children.— Read Ps. 
93. Memorize the names of the books of Poetry 
and Song (see Lesson I). Let the children mark 
these in the index of their Bibles. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue with 
the review of stories, and especially of the Ten 
Commandments. 

If psalms set to music can be procured, let the 
children sing these with you in order to impress 
on their minds the idea that the psalms were sung 
with the accompaniment of harps and other musical 
instruments. 



LESSON XXXVI 

THE BOOKS OF LAW 

L Aim. — 1. To suggest, as in an earlier 
lesson, the origin of law in necessity. 2. To 
introduce the Books of Law. 3. To present one 
of the fundamental ideas of the book of Deuter- 
onomy and to connect that idea with the summary 
of the law presented by Jesus. 

II. Material for Study. 

2 Kings 22 1—23 30. 

Cornill, Prophets of Israel, pp. 80-90. 

Wade, Old Testament History, pp. 375-81, 437-40. 

The book of Deuteronomy. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson, 

1. Read the references in Kings suggested 
above and note (a) the desire of King Josiah to 
renovate the temple ; (6) the finding of the book ; 
(c) the reading of the book before the king, and 
the consternation of the king upon hearing its 
contents ; (d) the consultation of the prophetess ; 
(e) the public reading of the book ; (/) the renewal 
of the covenant with Jehovah; (g) the thorough 
reformation. 

2. Make a list of the specific acts in the process 
of carrying out the reformation. 

3. Read the references in the histories of 
Cornill and Wade. 

183 



184: An Introduction to the Bible 

4. Supposing the book which was found to be 
the book of Deuteronomy, or a part of it, read 
Deut., chaps. 12-26, noting the character of the 
laws, especially those concerning worship. 

5. Studying the list of acts noted under para- 
graph 2, make a mental picture of the religious 
conditions existing before King Josiah's reforma- 
tion and compare with it a picture of conditions 
after the reformation. Would the people whose 
gods had been destroyed, and whose places of 
worship had been demolished, become immedi- 
ately true worshipers of Jehovah and without 
a protest? The book found was the visible 
answer to this protest. Consider the importance 
of the book, therefore, not only to the initiators 
of the reformation, but to the maintenance of the 
spirit of the reformation. Is this book possibly 
in some way related to the work of the prophet 
Jeremiah, who, you will remember, began to 
preach in the thirteenth year of King Josiah's 
reign, while the book was found five years later 
(Jer. I 1 " 3 )? 

6. Note the spirit of the book, love to Jehovah 
as the motive for obedience to the law of Jehovah ; 
injunctions to kindness and humanity in dealing 
with all men (6 4 ~ 9 ; chaps. 15, 16). [Recall 
Jesus' use of 6 5 , and the addition to it from Lev. 
19 18 , as recorded in Mark 12 29 ' 31 .] Consider the 
central ideas, one God, one sanctuary, one priest- 



The Books of Law 185 

hood, as related to the practice and beliefs of the 

preceding centuries. 

7. Note also the Decalogue in chap. 5, and 

compare it with the version in Exod., chap. 20. 

Remark.— One cannot fail to observe that the book of 
Deuteronomy is ascribed to Moses in its title, and that its 
literary form suggests a series of farewell addresses of 
Moses. Many scholars have come to believe, from histori- 
cal indications, such as the correspondences which you 
have discovered, the comparatively high conception of God, 
and other more technical reasons, that the book of Deuter- 
onomy was a rewriting of the law of Moses as it stood in 
the minds of the prophets and priests of the days immedi- 
ately preceding the reign of Josiah; that is, the original 
law, with the accretions which it had received, and the modi- 
fications which centuries of residence in Palestine had 
necessitated. To the people then living and to us now it 
is the law of Moses, just as Webster's Dictionary remains 
Webster's Dictionary, although Webster has long since 
died, and the Dictionary has been added to and modified 
in many respects. The name of Moses stood for law in 
Israel, just as the name of Solomon stood for wisdom. In 
picturesque harmony with this conception, the writers of 
the book have given it the dramatic form which it bears, 
as a series of orations from the lips of Moses, thus adding 
greatly to its force and vividness. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Call for a resume of the kinds of books in the* 
Bible, and the names of some books from each of 
the classes already studied. Note that there are 
yet three kinds to investigate. 

2. Giving the class the reference, present 
graphically, partly by reading, partly by telling 
it, the story of the finding of the book in the 



186 An Introduction to the Bible 

temple, and the incidents which followed, but do 
not call the book by name. 

3. Ask the children if they would like to see a 
copy of the book which was found? Then let 
them open the Bible at Deuteronomy, and explain 
that there are many reasons, although the name 
of the book is not mentioned, for thinking that 
the book found in the temple was the whole or 
a part of the book of Deuteronomy. 

4. Let the children note, as you read, what the 
book commands in 12 1_3 ; 16 x " 2 . Then turn to 2 
Kings and, running through chaps. 22, 23, call 
attention to the things which seem to be in exact 
obedience to the commands of Deuteronomy. 

5. Let the children discuss to what class of 
books Deuteronomy should belong, taking care to 
guide them to a right conclusion. 

6. Point out the new version of the Ten Com- 
mandments in chap. 5, and see if they can recog- 
nize the differences between these and the version 
which they have memorized from Exod., chap. 20. 

7. Recall the circumstances of the people in 
the desert just after the exodus from Egypt, and 
the conclusion reached, in connection with our 
previous study of that time, that the command- 
ments were given because it was necessary for the 
people to have laws to live by. Raise the ques- 
tion: Did the people in Josiah's time need the par- 
ticular laws found in Deuteronomy ? Was it not 



The Books of Law 187 

fortunate that the book was found just then ? No 
one has yet been able to find out when it was 
placed in the temple, or how long it had been there. 
8. Are there any laws in the book of Deuter- 
onomy which we can obey? The Ten Command- 
ments are there. Let the children find and read 
Deut. 6 5 , also the comment of Jesus upon this 
law, Mark 12 2931 . 

V. Written Work. — Under the division of 
Books of Law write Deuteronomy. Let the class 
recall that they learned the Ten Commandments 
from the book of Exodus, and that that may also 
be called a book of Law. Read two or three verses 
from Leviticus and Numbers, such as will indicate 
their character as books of Law, and add all these 
books to the list. 

VI. Home Work for the Children.— Read 2 
Kings 22 1 — 23 3 °. Memorize Mark 12 28 " 31 , and the 
names of the books of Law. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — Continue a 
review of the Ten Commandments. Read to the 
children from Deuteronomy, if they wish it. De- 
scribe the appearance of an ancient roll or book, 
and let the children experiment in making a roll 
and inscribing upon it portions of the law. Per- 
haps some convenient museum may afford the 
necessary model. Allow them to select the laws 
which they think most important. 



LESSON XXXVII 

THE BOOKS OF LETTEES 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the books of Let- 
ters. 2. To present them as real letters, portions 
of a correspondence between real persons. 3. To 
relate them to Paul and other early Christians — 
the persons addressed. 4. To fix in memory a few 
special passages of a generally helpful character. 

II. Material for Study.* 

The Acts, 758-83; 91-31; chaps. 11-28. 

Stalker, Life of Paul ; or 

Burton, Handbook of the Life of the Apostle Paul. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. Read rapidly the chapters in The Acts, 
making an outline of the principal events in the 
life of Paul as you read. 

2. Think over this outline, and the places 
visited, trying to gain an appreciation of the life 
of Paul from the point of view of (a) its striking 
incidents; (6) its great purpose, to extend the 
gospel of Jesus ; (c) the extent of his work, places 
where churches were established, etc. 

3. Consider the strong motive which the apostle 
would have for keeping in touch with the churches 

* This lesson can be taught with much more pleasure and assur- 
ance after the study of these books, but careful study of the biblical 
material will be sufficient, if time is limited and books difficult to 
obtain. 

188 



Books of Letters 189 

which he had established, and hence for writing 
to them letters of instruction and. admonition. 

4. The probable order of the letters and their 
relation to the history contained in The Acts as 
follows : 

1 and 2 Thessalonians : from Athens in the time 
covered by Acts 18 1_17 . 

Galatians : uncertain, probably after Acts 18 23 . 

1 Corinthians: from Ephesus; Acts, chap. 19. 

2 Corinthians : from Macedonia; Acts 20 1 . 
Romans : from Corinth, a few weeks or months later; 

Acts 20 2. 

Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon: 
from a Koman prison; Acts 28 16 > 3 °i 31 . 

1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus : at a still later date. 

5. Noting the time and place of its writing, 
and the fact that from Thessalonica Paul had been 
violently sent away (Acts 17 1_1 °), read through 
the First Epistle to the Thessalonians with the 
aid of the following analysis: 

I. Salutation, 1 *. 

II. Reminiscence and Narrative: The apostle re- 
counts his relations to the church of the Thessa- 
lonians up to the time of writing, 1 2 — 3 13 . 

1. Reminiscences of his first preaching to the 
Thessalonians, 1 2_10 . 

2. Review of his unselfish and sincere labor 
among them, 2 1_12 . 

3. Thanksgiving to God for their acceptance of 
his message, 2 13_16 . 

4. His desire to visit them, 2 17 " 20 f 



190 An Introduction to the Bible 

5. Timothy's visit and Paul's joy at the news he 
brought, 3 wo. 

6. Benediction, 3 n-13. 

III. Instruction and Exhortations, 4 x — 5 u . 

1. Exhortation to pure and upright Christian 
living, 4 1_ i 2 . - 

2. Comfort and exhortation concerning Christ's 
coming again, 4 i3 — 5 n. 

a) Comfort concerning them that fall asleep, 

4 13-18. 

b) Exhortation to watchfulness and sobriety, 
51-n. 

3. Sundry brief exhortations, h 12 ~ 22 . 

4. Benediction, 5 23 > 24 . 

IV. Conclusion, 5 25_28 . 

6. Turn to other epistles, and note that in 
nearly every case you can discern with only a 
glance the element of salutation at the beginning 
of the letter and of farewell at y the end. Note 
also that in these portions of the letters the per- 
sonality of the writer, his relations to his friends, 
and the ordinary commonplaces of conventional 
friendly correspondence are to be found. These 
things place the letters upon a human and per- 
sonal basis which will help to make them interest- 
ing to the children. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Let the children again recall the kinds of 
books studied, and mention five books of History 
and Story, four books of Sermons, tw T o books of 
Poetry and Song, and two books of Law. 



Books of Letters 191 

2. Let one child tell the story of the finding 
of the book of Deuteronomy. 

3. Let the class repeat the New Testament Law 
of Love and Jesus' estimate of it (Mark 12 28 " 31 ) 5 
the memory work for the week. 

4. The children may now open their Bibles 
at the Epistle to the Romans, and dictate the 
names of the letters of Paul for you to write upon 
the blackboard. Call attention to the word 
"epistle" in the title, and define it. Let the 
children also discover the name of the writer of 
the letters, and the names of the city or persons 
addressed, or of the cities or countries in which 
they lived, noting that the writer is the same in 
each case, but the persons addressed are different. 

5. Raise the question why one man wrote so 
many letters, and why they were of sufficient im- 
portance to be preserved in the Bible ? Having 
thus stimulated curiosity, tell in a brief and 
graphic manner the story of Paul's life, seizing 
the picturesque elements, and emphasizing the 
great desire of Paul to spread the knowledge of 
Jesus. Suggest that he felt toward the little group 
of Christians constituting each church which he 
established, as a father toward his children (read 
1 Thess. 2 7 ' 11 ), and when he had left a little com- 
pany of disciples, he longed to go back to them 
and to know how they fared, and to give good 
advice and counsel. 



192 An Introduction to the Bible 

6. Let the children read again from the black- 
board the list of places and persons to whom he 
wrote. 

7. The class may read with you the personal 
messages, the salutation in 1 Thess. 1 1-3 , and the 
farewell in 5 12 " 28 ; also 2 Thess. I 1 " 4 ; 3 13 " 17 . Call 
especial attention to vs. 17, indicating that this 
portion of the letter at least was written by Paul's 
own hand and not dictated to someone else. 

8. Give a brief drill upon the names of the books 
of Letters and let the children help you to add to 
the list the letters of Peter, John, James, and Jude. 
Call attention to the fact that all these letters and 
most of the letters of Paul are written, not to indi- 
viduals, but to the Christians living in certain 
places, and see that the children are able to find 
the names of the cities from those of the letters, 
as follows: Romans, the Christians of Rome; 
Corinthians, the Christians of Corinth; etc. 

9. Suggest that some of the things which Paul 
wrote in his letters are so full of interest and truth 
that they mean as much to us as if they had been 
written for us. Such a chapter is 1 Cor., chap. 
13, from which the memory work for two weeks 
will be taken. Perhaps the children may like to 
think of Paul while memorizing these words 
written to the people of Corinth. 

V. Written Work. — In the division for Books 
of Letters write Letters of Paul, The Letter of 



Books of Letteks 193 

James, Letters of John, Letters of Peter, The 
Letter of Jude, and The Letter to the Hebrews. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Read The 
Epistle to Philemon. Memorize 1 Cor. 13 1_13 (two 
weeks will be allowed for this). 

Give the children to take home to their parents 
copies of the following introduction to the letter 
to Philemon: 

The letter to Philemon tells plainly the story of its 
occasion. Onesimus, a runaway slave of Philemon, had 
drifted to the city of Paul's imprisonment, Csesarea, or 
more probably Rome, and, coming under the Apostle's 
influence, was converted. Paul sends him back to his 
master, but with him a letter to Philemon, in which, 
with infinite tact and most gracious courtesy, he bids 
Philemon receive the runaway no longer as a slave, but 
as a brother beloved. Nothing could more beautifully 
illustrate the skill and gentleness of Paul, or the way in 
which the principles of Christianity softened and molli- 
fied those harsh institutions of ancient life for the full 
abolition of which the time had not yet come. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — In connection 
with this lesson it is especially important that the 
parent should read the material suggested to be 
read in The Acts, and gain an appreciation of Paul's 
work and the occasion which it furnished for writ- 
ing letters to different individuals and groups of 
Christians. 

With the brief introduction carried home by 
the children, read the letter to Philemon with the 



194 An Introduction to the Bible 

children. This letter is chosen because of its 
brevity and simplicity, and yet will need some 
paraphrasing. The language of the epistles is diffi- 
cult, and the sentences are complex even where 
the thought is simple. 

Remark. — A lesson taking up the letters of Peter and 
John may follow here, if the children seem to wish to read 
more from the books of Letters, or if the class is composed 
of children over twelve years of age. The historical occa- 
sion of these epistles may be found in Dods's Introduction 
to the New Testament, or any modern book of New Testa- 
ment introduction. The object should be, however, to dis- 
card all the technical questions and select only some simple 
message which the writer wishes to convey, presenting this 
in connection with a recollection of what is already known 
to the class concerning Peter and John as friends of Jesus, 
bringing the men thus known to the children into historical 
connection with the occasion of the writing of the letters. 

It has seemed best in the grade for which the lessons 
were written to present only one lesson on the books of 
Letters, the purpose being to attach, to these portions of 
the Bible the interest that belongs to them as real letters 
of real persons, but to leave the study of the contents of 
the letters to a more advanced and appropriate stage in 
the religious education of the child. 



LESSON XXXVIII 

BOOKS OF VISION 

I. Aim. — 1. To introduce the last and most 
difficult series of books in our classification of the 
books of the biblical library. 2. To give an im- 
pression of the vision as a medium of teaching. 

II. Material for Study. 

Eobertson, The Old Testament and its Contents (see 
Lesson I). 

Dods, Introduction to the New Testament, or some 
other modern New Testament introduction. 

EzeMeUSH-u, 

Daniel, chaps. 7 ff. 

Revelation, as much as seems desirable to gain a vivid 
impression of the book. 

III. Preparation of the Lesson. 

1. After reading the material suggested, con- 
sider the following points common to all the visions: 
(a) The vision was made up of objects familiar to 
the men seeing them. (6) In the vision these 
objects are usually found in some remarkable com- 
bination of circumstance and environment. 

2. Compare the vision with remarkable dreams 
frequently occurring in the lives of ordinary men 
and women. Does the difference lie chiefly in the 
fact that the visions seem to have a definite pur- 
pose, although at this time we cannot in every case 
interpret that purpose with exactness ? 

195 



196 An Introduction to the Bible 

3. Study the situation of the two writers, 
Ezekiel in the captivity of Babylon, and John on 
the island of Patmos. (Daniel is also represented 
as a captive in Babylon, but possibly at an earlier 
time. His book in its present form is thought to 
come from a much later period.) Note how the 
visions in each case fit into some work which the 
writer feels called upon to perform — Ezekiel to 
encourage fallen Israel, John to encourage the 
struggling churches, etc. 

IV. Presentation of the Lesson. 

1. Question the children as to the Books of 
Letters : Written by whom ? to whom ? why ? 
See how many of the names of the books they 
can recall. Give a brief drill upon those which 
they cannot remember. Ask for the name of the 
last and only class of books which has not been 
studied. 

2. Ask one member of the class to tell you 
what a vision is. Without commenting upon 
the answer, let. each child close his eyes and 
think for a moment. Then ask some child to tell 
you what he sees with his eyes still closed. It 
does not matter what he replies, so that he sees 
something which he can define. Try several chil- 
dren, if the first is not responsive. Then call 
attention to the fact that the mind sees things 
when the eyes are closed. Discuss briefly dreams, 
and recall the significant dreams of Joseph, with 



Books of Vision 197 

which they are familiar. In what respect do our 
dreams differ from these biblical accounts of 
dreams ? Is it that our dreams mean nothing and 
are quickly forgotten? 

3. Tell something of the situation of Ezekiel in 
captivity, the hopeless condition of the people who 
considered themselves dead as a nation, and the 
prophet's desire to see the people restored to their 
own land and their old worship of Jehovah in the 
temple at Jerusalem. Then read the vision and 
its interpretation, Ezek. 37 1_14 . 

4. Suggest that there was another man, Daniel, 
among the captive Israelites in Babylon, and that 
he too had visions, but they were not so easy to 
understand as the one which we have just read. 
They were very strange visions. Read Dan. 7 1 " 14 . 

5. Recall the apostle John whom the children 
know, now in Patmos — an old man thinking of 
the strange events of his past life and trying to 
imagine what the future would be. Some of his 
visions are of heaven, and are wonderfully beau- 
tiful. We are not to suppose that John actually 
knew what heaven would be like, but this vision 
is what he saw with the eves of his mind, when 
he thought of heaven. 

6. Read, as long as the children wish to listen, 
from The Revelation, beginning with chap. 4 or 
with chap. 21. 

All the reading in this lesson should be done 



198 An Introduction to the Bible 

very slowly and expressively. The pictures pre- 
sented are so unusual that the children must be 
given time to grasp them even as pictures. 

V. Written Work. — In the section for Books of 
Vision write (1) Ezekiel, the Valley of Dry Bones; 
(2) Daniel, the Four Beasts; (3) The Revelation, 
Visions of Heaven. 

VI. Home Work for the Children. — Eead Dan., 
chap. 6. For memory work see last lesson. 

VII. Suggestions to Parents. — The story in 
Dan., chaps. 1-5, is full of interest, and may be 
told to the children previous to the reading of 
chap. 6. 

Many children enjoy hearing The Revelation 
read, although they cannot understand its sym- 
bolism and only partially appreciate its pictures. 
Letting them fully understand that the pictures 
are not descriptions of the actual heaven, but 
visions out of the mind of a pure and holy man, 
read as much as they wish to hear. 



LESSONS XXXIX AND XL 

GENEEAL REVIEW 

If possible, two Sundays or more should be 
spent in this general review. It should be remem- 
bered that, while every lesson in the series has 
had a suggestion of religious teaching, yet the 
main purpose of this course is to give to the child, 
at an early stage in his religious education, a 
"handling" knowledge of the Bible. Certain defi- 
nite facts should therefore be in his possession 
before he leaves the class : 

1. The classes of books in the Bible. 

2. The names of the books in each class. 

3. The location of certain classes of stories. 

4. The portions of the Bible to which he would 
turn for facts about certain persons. 

The memory work has consisted of the follow- 
ing passages: 

Eph. 6i. 
1 Sam. 15226. 

Pss. 1, 23, 24. 

Matt. 51-16,43-48. 

Matt. 61-15. 
John 316. 
Amos 5 u > 1 5 . 
Mark 1229-31. 
1 Cor. 131-13. 

199 



200 An Introduction to the Bible 

The Ten Commandments. 

The names of the apostles. 

The names of the books of the Bible. 

It is hardly probable that any one child can 
have mastered all of these facts, and have memo- 
rized all of the material assigned, but a large part 
of it should have been acquired by each child. 

The first review lesson may be devoted to find- 
ing out what facts a majority of the members of 
the class do not know well, and giving drill upon 
them. The home work may be a list of all the 
memory work for review, accompanied by a re- 
quest to the parents to assist in the work. 

The second review lesson may be devoted to 
an exercise which can best be planned by the indi- 
vidual teacher, in which he may recall, sometimes 
by title, sometimes by outline story-telling or 
otherwise, the lesson associated with each mem- 
ory passage, and call, in connection with it, for 
the concert recitation of the passage. 

The teacher, knowing his own class, will best 
know what results to look for in this review. 



FINAL EXAMINATION PAPER 



L To what class of books does each of the following 
belong? 

Genesis 

Exodus 



The Song of Songs. 
Isaiah 



Leviticus. 
Numbers. 



Deuteronomy 

Joshua 

Judges 

Ruth 



1 Samuel; 2 Samuel. 
1 Kings; 2 Kings. 



1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles 

Ezra 

Nehemiah 

Esther 

Job 



The Psalms _ 
The Proverbs. 
Ecclesiastes 



Matthew. 

Mark 

Luke 

John 

The Acts. 



The Romans 

1 Corinthians ; 2 Corinth- 
ians 

The Galatians 

The Ephesians . 

The Philippians 

The Colossians 



Jeremiah 

Lamentations. 

Ezekiel 

Daniel 

Hosea 

Joel 



Amos 

Obadiah 

Jonah 

Micah 

Nahum_ 



Habakkuk 
Zephaniah. 

Haggai 

Zechariah 
Malachi 



1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessa 
lonians 



1 Timothy; 2 Timothy. 

Titus 

Philemon 



The Hebrews. 
James_ 



1 Peter; 2 Peter _ 
1 John; 2 John: 



3 John 



Jude 

Revelations 



201 



202 An Introduction to the Bible 

2. In what books do vou find the stories of David? 

■I 

3. In what books are the stories of Jesus ? 



4. In what books are the stories of the Conquest ?_ 



5. Which story in Genesis do you like best to read? 



6. Name three Old Testament Preachers. 



7. Name the fishermen disciples of Jesus.. 



8. Who wrote the Letters to the Christians in the 
cities of Corinth and Rome? 

9. Name some other men who wrote Letters 



10. Do you wish to continue to read the Bible for 
yourself? Why? , _ 



APPENDIX 

BOOKS OF KEFERENCE 

In the following list the books actually referred to 
in the lessons are indicated by an asterisk (*). All the 
others bear directly upon some portion of the work, and 
should be placed in a Teacher's Library in every 
Sunday school. 

Adeney, How to Read the Bible. New York : Thomas 

Whittaker, 1897. 
Adeney, The Construction of the Bible. New York : 

Thomas Whittaker, 1898. 
Bennett, A Primer of the Bible. New York : Henry Holt 

& Co., 1898. 
Bennett and Adeney, Biblical Introduction. New York : 

Thomas Whittaker, 1899. 
*Burton and Mathews, Constructive Studies in the Life 

of Christ. Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 

1901. 
Burton and Mathews, Principles and Ideals of Sunday- 
School Work. Chicago: The University of Chicago 

Press, 1902. 
Burton, Handbook of the Life of the Apostle Paul. 

Chicago : The American Institute of Sacred Literature, 

1900. 
Cheyne, Jeremiah, His Life and Times. Chicago : 

Fleming H. Revell & Co. 
*Cornill, The Prophets of Israel. Chicago, The Open 

Court Publishing Co., 1895. 
^Davidson, Job, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and 

Colleges. New York : The Macmillan Co., 1893. 
Davis, Genesis and Semitic Tradition. New York: 

Charles Scribner's Sons, 1894. 
*Dods, Genesis. Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark. 

203 



204 An Introduction to the Bible 

*Dods, Introduction to the New Testament. New York : 

Thomas Whittaker, 1892. 
Driver, Isaiah, His Life and Times. Chicago : Fleming 

H. Revell & Co. 
*Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah. New York : Longmans, 

Green & Co., 1898. 
*Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life. Boston : A. 

I. Bradley & Co. 
Farrar, The Life of Christ as Represented in Art. New 

York: The Macmillan Co., 1895. 
Fulleylove and Kelman, The Holy Land. New York: 

The Macmillan Co., 1902. 
Gladden, Who Wrote the Bible? Boston: Houghton, 

Mifflin & Co., 1892. 
Goodspeed, History of the Babylonians and Assyrians, 

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902. 
Haslett, The Pedagogical Bible School. Chicago : Flem- 
ing H. Revell & Co., 1903. 
Hastings, A Dictionary of the Bible. New York: Charles 

Scribner's Sons, 1898-1902. 
Kent, History of the Hebrew People, Vols. I and II. New 

York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1896. 
Kent and Riggs, History of the Jewish People. Kent, 

Vol. I; Riggs, Vol. II. New York: Charles Scribner's 

Sons, 1900. 
Kirkpatrick, Doctrine of the Prophets. New York : The 

Macmillan Co., 1892. 
Lenormant, Beginnings of History. New York: Charles 

Scribner's Sons, 1893. 
*Milligan, The English Bible. London : A. & C. Black, 

1895. 
Moulton, Modern Reader's Bible. New York : The Mac- 
millan Co. 
Moulton, A Short Introduction to the Literature of the 

Bible. Boston: D. C. Heath & Co., 1899. 
Murray, The Origin and Growth of the Psalms. New 

York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1880. 
*Sayce, Early History of the Hebrews. London: Riving- 

ton, 1897, 



Appendix 205 

*Sayce, Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations. New 

York: E. R. Herrick & Co., 1899. 
*Seidel, In the Time of Jesus. Chicago : The American 

Institute of Sacred Literature. 
Smith, George Adam, An Historical Geography of 

Palestine. New York : A. C. Armstrong & Co., 1894. 
Smith, George Adam, The Book of the Twelve Prophets. 
New York : A. C. Armstrong & Co., 1898. 
*Smith, W. Robertson, Prophets of Israel. London : 

A. & C. Black, 1895. 
Stalker, The Life of Paul. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell 

&Co. 
*Wade, Old Testament History. New York : E. P. Dutton 
& Co., 1901. 

PICTUEES AND MAPS 

Underwood and Underwood, Stereoscopic Views of Pal- 
estine. New York. 

The Perry Pictures. Maiden, Mass.: The Perry Co. 

The Brown Prints. Beverly, Mass.: George P. Brown. 

New Topographical, Physical, and Biblical Map of Pal- 
estine, Bartholomew & Smith. Philadelphia: Presby- 
terian Board of Publication, 1902. 

Hand Maps: Palestine in the Time of Jesus, and Jour- 
neys of Paul. Chicago: American Institute of Sacred 
Literature, 1901. 

SUMMEK WORK 

Since the lessons of this book leave from ten to 
twelve weeks of the year unprovided with material for 
study, it may be of interest to know what has occupied 
these weeks in the school where the lessons have been 
in use. The summer months seem particularly adapted 
to a kind of work which will broaden the horizon of the 
children, and help to make more real the biblical stories 
and the places where the events occurred, without 



206 An Introduction to the Bible 

demanding from the child in his vacation months con- 
secutive study. 

The plan of conducting an imaginary trip to 
Palestine has been found to meet these conditions, and 
has proved especially interesting to the children who 
are not able to take the real journeys that make the 
summer so attractive to many children. 

The trip may include — 

1. The voyage. 

2. Jerusalem, the streets and shops. 

3. Jerusalem, the temple mount. 

4. Bethlehem. 

5. A camping trip up the valley of the Jordan to 
Nazareth. 

6. Nazareth. 

7. Around the Sea of Galilee. 
8. 

By the use of maps, photographs of places and build- 
ings, descriptions of customs of the country, dolls 
dressed in the various costumes of the people of Pales- 
tine, and many other devices which a clever teacher will 
conceive, the trip may be made a most enjoyable one. 
The author has found that the children who take this 
imaginary trip go back to' the regular lessons in the 
autumn with renewed interest, and with a much greater 
appreciation of the reality of the land, the people, and 
the events associated with the biblical history. For 
this trip the following books will give helpful informa- 
tion : 

Fulleylove and Kelman, The Holy Land. 
Underwood and Underwood, Stereoscopic Views of Pal- 
estine. 
The Perry Pictures. 
The Brown Prints. 



MAY 13 1904 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium 0»de 
Treatment Date: May 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADERS PAPER PRESERVAT.ON 

n^ri, fViwc 



] 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township PA 16066 
1724) 779-21 11 



